Downy Serviceberry (Native)

Description

Is Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) right for you?

🚨🚨 **** Important note: Sorry, No Sales to Western, Territories, or Phyto-certificate states due to shipping restrictions in your state (Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho). I can also only ship to Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi during bare root season (late fall through early spring) due to Japanese Beetle regulations.

If you love native edibles and are looking to provide songbirds with a nesting site they’ll adore, this one could be for you. Eastern Bluebird, Orioles, Mockingbirds, Doves, Cardinals, and more will sing you a song to thank you for being their friend. Sit back and enjoy the soothing sounds of nature.

Yes, it’s true that there may be open competition between you and the birds for who can pick the ripe berries first because you’ll both love them. They’re great eaten freshly picked or you can cook them up for jams, jellies, and other desserts. What’s the flavor like, you ask?  Think blueberries but better and sweeter.

Best of all – Downy Serviceberry is self-fertile so only one is required to produce fruit. However, planting more than one will produce higher yields of berries.  If you only have a small space for planting, these are perfect. Many even grow Amelanchier arborea strictly as an ornamental tree because they are just that pretty in any landscape. It’s hard to decide if the white flowers that pollinators love or the berries that you and the songbirds love win the contest for most valuable player.

✅ Botanical name: Amelanchier arborea

✅ Growing zones: 4-9

✅ Mature size: 15 to 25 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. Size can be controlled by pruning. They grow around 1 to 2 feet per year. If planting more than one, space these about 12 to 15 feet apart.

✅ Bloom time/Foliage color: Gorgeous showy cluters of white flowers appear in early to mid Spring. Flowers are followed by berries in early summer. Not to be outdone by the blooms and berries; the leaves are pretty too. In summer, vibrant greens show off. In fall, you’ll see a rainbow of colors from reds, to yellows, oranges, apricot, and many hues in between.

✅ Light requirements: Full sun to partial shade. (4+ hours daily) Although these can grow in shadier conditions, the best berry production happens in more sun (6+ hours)

✅ Soil: Very adaptable to most conditions but does need well-draining.

✅ Water: Consistently moist is most ideal, especially during the establishment period of 1 to 2 years. More water may be needed during hot and dry summers. If no rainfall, watering one to two times per week should be plenty.

✅ Fertilizer: Adding compost or well-rotted manure on top of the soil works very well. You can also apply a slow-release balanced fertilizer in early spring like a 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 mix.

✅ Pruning/Shaping: Best done in late winter/early spring before buds develop and open.

✅ This Downy Serviceberry sapling is an easy to grow, low maintenance native gem that offers so much value to the beauty of any landscape, to your tastebuds with those delicious berries, and to all the pollinators and songbirds who have the pleasure of calling your place home.

✅ For pest and disease treatments (like most fruit shrubs and trees), dormant spraying (late fall to very early spring before new growth) is best with a mix of horticultural oil and copper fungicide to kill off potential problems before they start. During the active growing season, consider Neem Oil applied in the evening hours.

There’s so much to love about Serviceberries. What makes these even better is their all-seasons interest. Within 2-4 years, you’ll pick your own Serviceberries guaranteed to make you smile.

If you have any questions, I’m here to help the best I can! As a small family nursery, my goal is to offer the “personal touch” to show you that we care about your business. Customer service, and your support, sincerely matter to us. Thanks for looking!