Recommended Plants For Kent County - Serviceberry

Apple Serviceberry, Amelanchier x grandiflora

Photo from Plants for a Liveable Delaware publication

This is a continuation of the series on recommended plants for Kent County. Apple Serviceberry is a shrub or small tree with early bloom and good fall color. The following is information on this species.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) – 15-25’ tall with very early white flowers covering the tree, attractive fruit and orange fall color; single stemmed cultivars are available, native plant.

Amelanchier x grandiflora is sometimes called Apple Serviceberry. Apple Serviceberry is a hybrid between Amelanchier canadensis and Amelanchier laevis that grows 15 to 25 feet tall. Multiple stems are upright and highly branched forming a dense shrub, or if properly pruned in the nursery, a small tree. It is superior to either species in that it suckers less and is adapted to a wide range of soils, and tolerates some drought. The main ornamental feature is the white flowers that are larger than those of other Amelanchiers. The flowers are borne in early spring and are at first tinged with pink but later fade to white. The young leaves are purplish and the fall color is yellow to orange. Edible fruit attracts birds. Well adapted for planting beneath power lines due to its small size. There are several disease and insect pests of Serviceberry that may need be be controlled in some cases.

Information taken from Plants for a Liveable Delaware publication and the University of Florida Fact Sheet ST-77 by Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson.