Juneberries-Serviceberries

Is anyone growing juneberries? I’m interested in purchasing plants or cuttings.

St. Lawrence Nursery used to offer the best selection of named cultivars…idk how they are after Bill MacKentley retired.
Reeseville Ridge Nursery (I’ve not bought from them yet) offers several Amelanchier species, and prices look very affordable.

Too funny - I just came here to post that I just ordered 2 “Jennybelle” juneberries from Edible Landscaping in Virginia.
Can’t wait!

PS there are multiple threads with lots of discussion on Serviceberry/Juneberry

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I went to a juneberry festival here a few years ago. They had multiple varieties. There was a vendor there selling juneberry plants (named cultivars). Maybe they would sell some cuttings or rooted suckers to you or point you in the direction of someone that would. Located in the finger lakes region of NY.

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Interesting! Of the Juneberry varieties that place is growing, I’ve only ever heard of Theissen.
But I’d never heard of Jennybelle either.

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I’ve had Jennybelle, from EL, supposedly A.obovata, a ‘Southern’ species, growing here for over 25 yrs. Extremely leafspot susceptible, poor production, berries small, dry, lacking flavor.
Hope it does better for you.

What exactly do you have in mind as cuttings? The plants sucker profusely but the sucker roots have almost no root hairs so I doubt if they would transplant well. I do not have autumn brilliance but I have the main named varieties popular a few years ago.
If you will remind me I can send some in the fall.

Wow,
That sounds terrible!
I see you’re in a similar climate to me.
Do you have another variety you could recommend?
Regent is the most common I see and is sold by Hidden Springs Nursery in Cookeville TN…

I’ve had a number of the alnifolia/stolonifera types (Regent, Smoky, Theissen, Honeywood, Forestburg… maybe a couple others)… but being selections from Canada/Dakotas… they didn’t really like it here, just north of the TN/KY state line… some are still alive, but just barely hanging in there. Row-run seedlings of Timm & Success, from the now-defunct Bear Creek Nursery, have been the best of those types.
But! IMO, the apple serviceberry types (A. x grandiflora) seem to be most productive here. I have access to a half-dozen row-run apple serviceberry seedlings that I planted 20 yrs ago at the elementary school my kids attended… quite productive and very tasty!
Last year, I attended a nephew’s graduation in Terre Haute, IN - there were serviceberries planted all over the urban & residential landscape there - in full, tasty fruiting mode. I suspect most, if not all, were ‘Autumn Brilliance’ or a similar selection.

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There are some superb tasting ones planted at my city hall, which got me interested.
They are multi-trunked like a crape myrtle and only 6-7 feet high. So it seems unlikely they are autumn brilliance unless they are really pruning them hard (?)
Some websites list Jennybelle as an apple type. The species is not consistent on the internet for it either.
I admit, I don’t know what row-run refers to :pleading_face:
But I just want some tasty berries on a shrub-type plant (not a tree like autumn brilliance) :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
I’m not feeling good about my order now! :disappointed_relieved:

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I think there’s a lot of confusion/disagreement in IDing Amelanchier species and hybrids.
Row-run just means the nursery mass-planted seeds, then lifted and sold them - often in bundles of 10, 50, 100 - as unnamed seedlings - though in some cases, they are marketed as seedlings of named cultivars.
For some species, seedlings are very similar in many respects, to the ‘mother’ plant. From what I’ve read, apomixis is quite common in Amelanchier, so seedlings may, in some instances, be actual genetic clones of the ‘mother’.

OIKOS Tree Crops usually offers a number of different seedsource/species serviceberries. I’ve got several of Ken’s selections here - most flowered and fruited for the first time this year… not a lot of fruit, and the birds got almost all of them… but they were all good. Some of the bushes have been more vigorous than others, but all - including some of the A.laevis selections - are multistemmed shrubs.
The 20-yr old grandifloras at the elementary school are probably 15 ft tall now, with similar spread.

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Thanks for the great info.
Perhaps I should try to grow seedlings of the ones by my city hall.
I will say, unfortunately, that I think the last 2 years they were afflicted with cedar rust (?). Maybe not the best selection :yum:

All the wild ones I’ve had have been really good. Commercial nurseries use shadblow serviceberry a lot in landscaping in the south and if you play your cards right you can get them for very cheap.

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Not sure where to share this info so I will try it here . I have a wild Juneberry blooming out of season at my lake property in northern Mn . I know fruit trees sometimes do this after stress or defoliation . No signs of that on this young tree .Still blooming as of 8-23 . I will be back there in mid September . Interested to see if it sets fruit and ripens . A new mutant trait or a fluke ? Only time will tell I guess . I have a photo on my phone . Need to figure out how to get it onto my computer photos to share .

Here is the photo .

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