Serviceberry (Amelanchier ovalis) 2L

General description: This serviceberry is a European species related to American species (Amelanchier alnifolia and canadensis). It adds beauty and variety to any garden.

Flowers: This species has monoecious flowers, meaning they have both well-developed male and female reproductive organs. It differs from other species by having distinctively short pistils. Flowers are white with narrow, distinctly separated petals, and grow in dense, erect clusters.

Blooming: The blooming period lasts from seven to ten days. Come spring, its flowers develop earlier than its leaves.

Leaves: Serviceberries are deciduous, dropping leaves for the winter and growing new foliage in spring. Fresh leaves have entire (smooth) margins, and older leaves develop very delicately serrated edges, usually in the top part of the leaf. They grow to around 2-5 cm long, and 2-4 cm wide.

Fruit: Serviceberry shrubs bear medium to large sized, spherical fruit (pomes) up to 15 mm in diameter. They are bluish black and grow gathered in clusters. They are juicy, sweetly-sour in taste and are great for making into jams and marmalades, syrups, and tinctures.

Cultivation requirements: This shrub, due to its undemanding soil requirements and great adaptability, can grow in many types of substrates, except for very acidic, waterlogged, or extremely dry soils. Even though it tolerates poorer soils, if planted in nutrient deficient substrates, it will grow much slower and fruiting will be delayed.

Care: Young plants do not require pruning. Older shrubs don’t need much trimming, apart from shaping and limiting growth if desired (this should be done near the end of winter). This is a species that is quite resistant to diseases and pests.

Overwintering: This variety does well in temperate climates. At the beginning of November, cover young seedlings by piling a mound of soil with peat about 30 cm in height over the plant, or shield them with agrotextiles for the winter.

Origin: South America.

Limitations: Due to phytosanitary regulations, this seedling cannot be shipped to Estonia, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania, Ireland, UK, Slovenia and Slovakia.