Amelanchier (Shadbush, Juneberry, Serviceberry)
Amelanchier is a very cold hardy shrub or tree that originates in many different places. The European form is called Amelanchier ovalis (Snowy Mespilus); it has never been bred and even though has consistently high yields. It produces small purple fruit with excellent and refreshing flavor. It only grows to 2-3 meters and usually forms smaller shrubs. American form called Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon serviceberry) has been bred for a very long time and gave rise to plenty of excellent varieties, among which excel cultivars 'Martin', 'Thiessen', 'Nortline' and 'Smoky'. The least quality fruit can be harvested from Amelanchier laevis (Smooth shadbush).
Cultivation
Amelanchier is in our climate fully frost hardy and extremely undemanding shrub. It grows and fruits almost in any kind of soil. However to achieve better growth and higher yields, it needs high quality soil with sufficient amount of organic nutrients and regular irrigation. Amelanchier buds quite early and is covered with lots of beautiful, white, fragrant flowers already in April. Its berries, 2cm long in diameter, start to develop immediately after the shrub loses the blossoms and they ripen from late June to late August. The largest quantity of fruit is harvested right in the middle of the summer. Shadbush berries can be eaten fresh, frozen or dried; they are very tasty in every case.
Amelanchier is usually propagated by these 3 methods:
1) in vitro propagation – the outcome of this method are large quantities of genetically identical plants of high quality in a very short time.
2) by seeds – these plants are fruiting seedlings of different quality or rootstocks for grafting other varieties. Stratification of the seeds in the winter is necessary, otherwise the seeds won’t germinate.
3) grafting on suitable rootstocks gained as seedlings
