Here’s an Aronia hedge in our front yard that we started 3 years ago. Initially we planted 6 Autumn Magics, and then we put a Viking in the middle of them. This year we added 1 more Autumn Magic, and 5 Vikings to the hedge, for a total of 13. Last year we harvested 22 lbs of berries from the 6 Autumn Magics. This year, we harvested 36 lbs from the 6 Autumn Magics. The fall color this year was impressive. This is definitely my favorite edible landscaping bush. They can handle a little shade, the birds don’t bother the berries, and you can leave the berries on the bush all season if you want.
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Welcome to the forum! What do you make with your berries?
Thanks! So far we’ve made a syrup with honey, and also have frozen a bunch for putting in smoothies. We will probably dry some next year.
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i have a Viking and a polish cultivar that i dont remember the name. they are 5 years old 8 and 10ft tall. they gave me 62lbs of berries this year. the branches were weighed down from the fruit. i have a friend that has Viking of the same age and they’re only 5ft. mine are in a wet spot near the edge of my leach field so probably why they’re growing so well.
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Is there a taste difference between autumn magic and viking?
for my 2 there isnt. berry size is similar also.
I would say no, based on eating some viking berries from a friend, but I haven’t had any off ours yet, only Autumn Magic.
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How large root system for Aronia? I am looking for some hedge bushes I can plant along the property line, but it is somewhat close to the leach field and I do not want the roots to travel there. As of now I started with high bush cranberry(Viburnum) - I have one transplanted from old house but it is not fast growing bush…
i couldnt find info on aronia but most bush fruit keep their roots in the top 12in. and spread out roughly the width of the canopy. mine are on the edge of the leach field as well. you want some cuttings? they root as easily as currants.
In fact, I do! I was shocked with a price per plant… When is the best time to root, spring?
When do you usually take your cuttings? I tried propagating from cuttings this Spring, and didn’t have any luck with the Aronias. The currants I made cuttings of pretty much all rooted.
stick them where you want them now. they will grow like crazy come spring. p.m me your new address. any cuttings you want at the same time?
i root in ground over winter. ive done it with and without rooting hormone. scratch down to the cambium on the lower sections in a few spots or even better, layer a branch or 2 now to get a bigger plant next spring.
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Awesome, thanks for the advice! I’d take any cuttings you want to send 
whats the best size for a cutting in your opinion? Something around a pencil thickness?
that and even a little smaller. older woods harder to root.
I thought they’d hang on the bushes all season, too. Until this year. I didn’t pick any and by the end of September they had all disappeared. I don’t know if it was birds or what, but they weren’t lying on the ground. Next year, I’m picking them in August.
So I planted an Autumn Magic maybe 7-8 years ago and it’s one of my favorite plants. How does the Viking compare to the Autumn Magic?
I have a Viking in the middle of my Autumn Magic hedge and just picked my first berries from it the other day. The berries are about double the size of autumn magic and seem to be a bit sweeter and definitely juicier. They also are ripening much earlier than autumn magic. The leaves on the viking are also bigger. In the pic, the viking is the bush on the right.
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Thanks for taking the time to reply, i appreciate it. These pics are really helpful. I love my Autumn Magic and its variety of fall colors (I haven’t trimmed it so it’s gotten huge, probably 7 feet tall and wide), but it is leggy.
It seems like Viking is more compact, with larger leaves and larger better berries. The fall colors of Viking are purely red, correct?