Juneberry Serviceberry
Plant Type: Dormant, bare-root
Zones: 3-8
Soil Type: Loamy & Sandy Soils
Site Selection: Full Sun, Partial Sun
Mature Height & Width: 8-15' Height and 12-18' Spread
Growth Rate: Moderate - 12-24" per year once established
Moisture Requirements: Average
Juneberry Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
The Juneberry Serviceberry is a bird lover's delight. You will be pleased with this low maintenance shrub. As it wakes up in spring, white flowers will appear and give way to green oval leaves. Red, unripened berries will ripen into blue edible berries that resemble blueberries. Their flavor is unique though, almost almond to the taste. In autumn, the leaves on the Juneberry Serviceberry turn orange-red. This shrub does need a winter chill to produce spring flowers. This selection is another excellent choice for bringing wildlife to your backyard or hunting land.
Amelanchier alnifolia is also known as Juneberry and Downy Serviceberry.
The Serviceberry is a great choice for almost any landscape. This medium to large sized bush works well naturalizing a field or along the woods edge. The Serviceberry makes a great hedge or privacy screen with wonderful wildlife benefits. In the urban landscape, it is a favorite ornamental bush which is routinely placed near patios or decks. The open crown produces a light shade. Come autumn, this plant produces nice shades of yellow, orange and red before dropping its leaves.
The berries produced by the Amelanchier are a favorite of bakers for jam, pies and cobblers. Mature fruit is generally ready for harvest 45 to 60 days after the very early bloom; and typically ripen in late June or early July. Berry crops will generally be available to harvest within 3 to 5 years of planting and will produce an average of 4 to 6 lbs. of berries each season.
Common uses for the Serviceberry include:
- Edible berries are rich in nutrients and antioxidants
- Attracts many types of birds and wildlife
- Pleasant orange, yellow and red fall color
- Makes a great hedge or privacy screen
- Ornamental and specimen plant
- Planted near patios and decks
- Great low to mid level section of a windbreak
- Planting around Black Walnut or Butternut, as Serviceberry are juglone toxicity resistant
The shrubby growth of the Juneberry Serviceberry makes a great cover and nesting habitat for songbirds. Bears enjoy the fruit as do flocks of Cedar Waxwings which will gorge themselves on the berries in springtime. While the fruit produced is a favorite for Baltimore Orioles, Brown Thrashers, Catbirds and Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, the berries have been documented to be eaten by at least 35 species of birds. Twenty-three types of animals also feed on the Serviceberry. Chipmunks, squirrels, beaver, bears, mule and white-tailed deer, moose and elk are among those animals.
