About Serviceberry Trees

The serviceberry tree is actually a large shrub that is perfect for the smaller yard or as an ornamental tree. It has beautiful white flowers in early spring, edible berries in early summer and rich colored fall foliage.

Size

Also known as a Juneberry or a shadbush, the Amelanchier canadensis is actually a large shrub, not a tree, despite its name. However, in shrub terms, it gets quite large and makes a great ornamental or small yard tree. You can expect a serviceberry to get up to 20 feet high and have a spread of about 10 feet across, which is a perfect size range for an ornamental tree. It will provide decent shade and wind protection without overpowering a small yard.

Features

The Serviceberry produce small fruits which are berrylike and are edible. Its branching pattern is very dense. It flowers very early in the spring, and though the flowering period is brief, it is usually ahead of other spring-flowering foliage and provides a beautiful display of white flowers which will complement early-spring flower bulbs such as snowdrops. In the fall, the serviceberry has a striking display of yellow to red foliage, with deep color saturation. Some cultivars of the serviceberry tree will also send out suckers, so if you'd like a whole hedgerow of serviceberry trees, you can eventually have one.

Identification

You can identify the serviceberry tree by its leaves, which are about 2 inches long and shiny green. When still young and immature, the leaves have a fuzzy white coating. During early spring you won't see the foliage yet, but you can easily find the serviceberry tree due to its covering of small white flowers. The flowers have five small petals which are spaced out from a small greenish-yellow center. They grow in clumps from the tree branches. The small fruit looks like a blueberry in shape and size, though before ripening it will be light red and then deepen to dark red; when ripe it will become a dark purplish-blue.

Geography

Most serviceberry trees are native to North America, and are hardy to Zone 2 in the United States. The trees also do well in Eastern Canada and the Netherlands. They are woodland plants and will tolerate full sun to partial shade; the edge of the woods or a nice treeline border is an ideal location for the Serviceberry tree. The soil should be rich, with plenty of moisture, but well-drained.

Benefits

Aside from its ornamental beauty, a serviceberry tree will provide light shade for the area immediately around it as well as some wind protection. Its smaller size is perfect and allows even a small yard to have a full-feature tree. The showy flowers and rich fall color offer a changing view, and the berries themselves, which ripen in the early summer, are edible. They will attract birds to your yard, or if you net the tree to harvest them for yourself, they will make excellent jams and jellies.

Resources

• Lesser Known Herbal Plants: Serviceberry and Willow