Running Serviceberry - Page 2 - Orchid Board

Subrosa · #11 04-03-2014, 07:45 AM

I have a couple alnifolias I just planted this spring. When my family moved to Bucks from Philly in the 70s the house was new construction and had no landscaping whatsoever. The guy hired to do it put a hybrid "Autumn Brilliance" at the end of the driveway. That was the first time I ever heard of the plants, and a year later when it bore fruit I was hooked. My sister keeps complaining about berries on the car, but my brother in law loves the fruit as much as I do. One day I might get that plant, but I'll need a forklift to move it! I've found them in some interesting spots used as landscaping. The shopping center at Roosevelt Blvd and Welsh Rd in NE Philly has/had two nice specimens in the center courtyard near the STAR technical school, and at the 69th st SEPTA terminal there are/were a couple along the entrance staircase. I used to love the comments folks would make when they saw me eating them! "They poison! You gonna die!" I just smiled and said "yeah they're poisonous, you shouldn't eat them!".

Subrosa · #12 04-29-2014, 02:41 PM

Damn! Due to car issues I had to walk about 1/2 mile down to the supermarket just now. I took a short cut and came up from behind the place. Well there's a sloping strip of ground that acts as a buffer between the supermarket and a townhouse development, full of a mix of large shrubs which act as a screen. Forsythias, Viburnums, Lilacs, and 8 count 'em 8 fully mature Amelanchier alnifolias in full bloom! Where they're located my only competition will probably be the birds! So now instead of a 45 minute drive I have a 10 minute walk to get my fix!

Subrosa · #13 05-01-2015, 09:05 AM

Subrosa · #14 05-01-2015, 09:08 AM

One of mine in bloom. Flowers have a mild rose like, or maybe a rose light fragrance. Taking most of the sweet component from the fragrance of an old garden rose is as close as I can describe it. Fruit to follow, hopefully!

wintergirl · #15 05-01-2015, 12:09 PM

Funny I just planted a serviceberry tree in my front yard (to replace a rotting 100+ year old maple). I can't wait to see the berries!

Subrosa · #16 05-01-2015, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wintergirl

Funny I just planted a serviceberry tree in my front yard (to replace a rotting 100+ year old maple). I can't wait to see the berries!

See? Sure. Taste? Damned sure! Once the berries get dark and soften to where they easily slip off their stem the worst that could happen would be a bland fruit with a fair amount of seed to fruit. The best that could happen would be a large juicy berry with a wonderful taste all it's own. If the birds let you of course! Do you happen to know any specifics about the plant, such as species or cultivar? It has a classic alnifolia growth habit, but so do many cultivars.

wintergirl · #17 05-01-2015, 01:06 PM

All I know is that it is a serviceberry tree that does well in Northern Indiana. It is fairly big already and took 3 guys to put it into the hole. It should get around 25 feet tall. I read the berries taste better than blueberries so I am ready for that

Subrosa · #18 05-01-2015, 03:50 PM

Hopefully it's a good cultivar. Time and taste will tell!

wintergirl · #19 05-15-2015, 10:52 PM

I have baby serviceberries!

RandomGemini · #20 05-15-2015, 11:13 PM

I have a 15 year old Serviceberry tree growing in my yard. I had considered taking it out, until I had an arborist come in to look at my big pines and he said my yard screamed native pacific northwest to him and he loved that. So... I've stuck to native plantings since and I find that not only are things just thriving better, but I love the look of my back yard now too. I'll see if I caught some pictures of it in bloom this year and post them. It's gorgeous when it's in bloom and it's pretty close to it's maximum height.