Juneberry

Juneberry/Serviceberry/Saskatoon/Shadbush

Amelanchier canadensis

These popular city trees are often grown for their front yard beauty, but their delicious fruits are often overlooked. The trees are 12-25 ft multistemmed beauties with showy, fragrant flowers in the spring. Around here, their fruit ripens the first week of June (hence the name) and is a treat my family and I look forward to every year. The berries are about the same size as blueberries and have similar tastes. Depending on ripeness, I often compare juneberries to a cross between blueberries and cherries. In the fall the leaves turn a showy red and orange. I think this is a perfect native replacement tree for Japanese maples. They are around the same height and just as beautiful. 

When you recieve the plant it will be bare root (no soil around the roots.) The tree has gone into dormancy for the winter at this point, so it can be dug up and transplanted with almost no stress to the tree. You just have to make sure the roots stay moist. You'll receive the tree in a pot with moist woodchips or in a bag with moist paper towels wrapped around the roots. It could stay like this for weeks (as long as the roots are kept moist) but I strongly suggest planting in the ground soon after purchase. 

Size/Spacing:

The trees will grow to about 12-25 feet in height. They are often a little more narrow than that, so I'd space them about 12-15 feet apart for easy harvesting. Though you could space closer if you wanted to form a thicket.

Site Preference:

These are native understory trees, so they enjoy (and produce well) in part shade. That being said, they are grown as city trees for a reason. They can handle a wide range of light conditions (including full sun) and a wide range of soil conditions. Moist, well-drained soil is best. They tend to prefer more sandy soils but do well in clay too. I'd water them regularly during their first year, but after that, they should be able to hold up on their own. Watering some during droughts, however, is not a bad idea. A thick layer of mulch around the base of the tree is always a great idea.

Hardiness:

USDA Hardiness Zones 4-8