Canadian serviceberry

Canadian serviceberry: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, 4–5 m high and about 3 m wide; produces suckers at the base.

Leaves

Oval, 4–6 cm, finely toothed; young leaves downy, fresh green in summer, orange to red in autumn.

Flowers

White, star-shaped flowers with five narrow petals, in upright clusters, in April.

Fruit

Round berries up to 1 cm in June, red at first, blue-black, soft and sweet when ripe.

Bark

Smooth, grey stems that stand out in winter.

Flowering: April · Harvest and fruit: June–July · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: February

Why grow it?

• Four seasons of interest: blossom in April, berries in June, autumn colour in October and a graceful outline in winter.
• Early blossom full of nectar and pollen for bees.
• Edible, sweet berries, for you and for blackbirds and thrushes.
• Tolerates moist to wet soil, where many other flowering trees struggle.
• Upright and multi-stemmed: also fits a smaller garden.
• Little pruning or care needed.

Canadian serviceberry: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; flowering and autumn colour are best in sun.
• Sand, loam, clay or peaty soil, acid to neutral; it grows less well on chalky soil.
• Moist to wet: it tolerates wet soil but dislikes long dry spells.
• Give it 3 m of space; in an informal hedge or shelterbelt, 1–1.5 m between plants.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam, clay or peat

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

5 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Daffodils: They flower beneath the white blossom in spring.
• Lenten rose: Evergreen leaves and early flowers at its feet.
• Hardy geranium: A colourful, low underplanting in summer.
• Ferns: Fresh green cover in the partial shade beneath the crown.
• Wood anemone: Small white flowers in April under the shrub.

Canadian serviceberry: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the soil is not frozen.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and loosen the bottom.
3. Mix compost or leaf mould into the excavated soil.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot; stake a larger, tree-shaped plant.
5. Firm the soil well and water in thoroughly straight away.
6. Spread a layer of leaf mould mulch around the base.

Care

Watering

For the first two years, water generously every week in dry spells. An established shrub only needs water in long dry periods.

Feeding

Hardly needed; a little compost in spring is enough.

Mulching

Leaf mould or wood chips keep the soil moist, which it likes.

Picking berries

Pick in June, when they are blue-black and soft. Throw a net over a few branches, or the birds will beat you to it.

Suckers

Remove suckers at the base if you want to keep the shrub narrow.

Tip: In June, put a net over a few branches if you want to eat the berries yourself: otherwise the blackbirds will get there first. They are delicious fresh, in yoghurt or in a tart.

Canadian serviceberry: when to prune it?

Pruning months: February.

When: Pruning is hardly needed. Do it in February, when the shrub is dormant and you can see its shape clearly.

How:

• Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches.
• Every few years, cut an old stem out at the base so that young shoots can take its place.
• Keep 3–5 stems as you like and remove surplus suckers.
• If you want a small tree with a clear trunk, gradually remove the lowest side branches.

Caution: Do not cut it back hard: you would lose the blossom and the natural shape.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Suckers

In autumn or winter, cut off a rooted sucker at the base and replant it elsewhere.

Seed

Take the seeds from ripe berries and sow them outdoors straight away in a pot or seed tray: they need a cold winter to germinate.

Layering

In spring, pin a low branch into the soil; sever and transplant it after a year.

Canadian serviceberry: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed.
• The smooth, grey stems and fine twigs give structure to the winter garden.
• February is the time to remove dead or crossing branches.

Diseases and pests

• Birds: Blackbirds and starlings eat the berries before they are fully ripe. Put a net over a few branches.
• Rust: Orange spots on leaves and fruit, especially near junipers. Clear up affected leaves; the shrub usually suffers little.
• Fireblight: Rare: shoot tips that suddenly wilt and turn black, as if scorched. Cut back well into healthy wood and disinfect your secateurs.
• Drought: Early leaf fall or browning leaves in dry summers. Water generously and mulch: it likes moist soil.

Through the year

• February: Prune: dead or crossing branches and perhaps an old stem.
• March: Planting. Spread compost or mulch.
• April: Blossom. Planting.
• May: Young berries form. Water in dry spells.
• June: Pick the berries and sow the seed straight away. Net against birds.
• July: Water in dry spells.
• October: Orange-red autumn colour. Planting.
• November: Planting. Remove rooted suckers.

Edible and useful

Berries (June–July)

The berries ripen in June–July, turning from red to dark purple-black. Pick them quickly, as blackbirds and starlings love them too; a net helps. They taste sweet, a little of cherry and almond, and are lovely fresh, in muffins or pancakes, as jam or dried like currants.

Storing

A few days in the fridge; they can be frozen spread out on a tray. Dried, they keep for months in a closed jar.

Caution: Like many plants in the rose family, the small seeds contain small amounts of substances that can release cyanide. Normal portions of fresh or cooked fruit are no problem, but do not grind the seeds. Only eat berries from a tree you have identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Juneberry jam (Jam · ± 3 jars · 30 min)
• Dried juneberries (Dried · ± 150 g · 15 min + 8–12 hours drying)
• Juneberry muffins (Dish · 12 muffins · 15 min + 25 min baking)
• Juneberry syrup (Syrup · ± 500 ml · 30 min + overnight draining)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• Its Dutch name, krentenboompje, means ‘currant tree’, because the small, dark berries look like currants.
• In North America it is also called shadbush: it flowers when shad, a fish related to herring, swim up the rivers to spawn.
• In the trade it is often confused with the closely related Amelanchier lamarckii, which also has edible berries.