Saskatoon/Juneberries - cultivation and varieties

Never heard of it.

I’ve really considered growing jb30 after the research that I’ve done. I have yet to plant and named varieties but jb30 is on my priority list.

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Lee 8 is the one I want to grow.bb

Hi Jesse here
I bought Saskatoon weeps from Gurney years ago out 4 I have 1 still alive hasn’t got more than a foot and a half.But did branch out some. Live in zone 6b. Anything I can add to get it to grow?
Oh, it’s not because I got it Gurneys I got good stuff from them. Anybody buy this bushes?

Cedar-serviceberry rust can be a major problem with them, here. Autumn Brilliance is a CSR magnet. Some other leaf spot issues - mostly cosmetic - as well; have never seen fireblight in them. I was warned against planting the Canadian/Dakotas-origin selections here due to humidity and fungal issues, but gave 'em a shot, anyway.

There were a couple of nice Allegheny serviceberry (A.laevis) trees planted at the local library… they cut one down, years ago, for some unknown reason, and the other is hanging in there.
I planted some row-run A.x grandiflora seedlings - like $2 each, from Bear Creek Nursery - at the elementary school my kids attended, back in 2000 - they are now 12-15 ft tall, with similar spreads, and bear heavily. Tasty fruits… sweet, but not like a blueberry

Best alnifolia/stolonifera types I’ve grown were a couple of cheap (like $2ea) row-run Timm & Success seedlings I got, nearly 25 years ago, from the now-defunct Bear Creek Nursery. I rarely manage to beat the birds to them, as they’re planted well away from the house, on the other side of the pond.
Tissue-cultured specimens from St. Lawrence Nursery, planted at the same time, in the same spot, have sort of languished and never really did anything… several of them are still alive, but struggling. I’ve not downloaded SLN’s 2019 catalog, but think they’re offering quite a selection - have had some of the Lee varieties in the past.

There are locally adapted Amelanchier species scattered over much of North America. I’ve seen A.alabamensis in the D.E. Davis Arboretum on the campus of Auburn University.
I have A.obovalis “Jennybelle”, from Edible Landscaping, touted as a ‘southern’ juneberry selection. but it has struggled and never has looked good; barely fruits.

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(I found when looking for propagation info on the Saskatoon)

Just wanted to say that in my experience, they are really best used as a cooking berry.
I like the fresh taste, but it is dull, especially compared to a blueberry, but it cooks up into something much more interesting. I actually like them better than blues, in crumbles and pies!
Getting any before the birds without netting is tough. They will take them before they are fully ripe.

Side story: I lived for a while in an area where the city had planted sasks in the median of the quiet, high end street. I started going out and picking them in season and loved all the tasty baked goods. People would often stop and ask me about them and I was truthful about them being edible and how to use them. I clearly should have lied since within a year or 2 they would get stripped before I could get them!

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i just realized i have a wild one growing out of the row of spruces. its the 1st time it flowered because it was highly shaded and finally broke out above the spruces. its about 20ft tall but only a portion about 6 ft. of the ground and the very top have branches. funny thing is last summer i put in a no name apple serviceberry and no name saskatoon not 20ft . from this one. they should all cross pollinate each other well. i too aren’t a fan of fresh serviceberry but I’ve yet to try them in a jam or baking.

I have a year ago. Planted 10 all but one thriving and one has a few berries. Largest I’d @ 5’ and shortest is @ 2’

Well, I should have read this thread more carefully. I had no idea that serviceberries could get rust. This is the first year my 3 year old bushes have fruited, and I lost all the fruit to rust!!! Here is what it looks like if you are wondering!!! As you can tell, it is on the plant as well as the fruit, which worries me more than loosing my fruit this year. Hope the plant will be ok?

image

IT should be ok. I would cut out any branches infected by rust (like that one in the middle of the picture) and give it a spray of fungicide a couple times and a dormant oil spray this winter.

I’m quite a fan of serviceberries, though I have found that a few landscape varieties around here fruit better than the named varieties I have in my yard. Oikos has a few unique and wonderful varieties I keep meaning to add, but I always miss out before they are sold out.

I have Smoky, northline and an Oikos variety I don’t recall the name on. The Oikos one has been much more vigorous, has had less issues with disease, is significantly larger and produces more fruit than the other two combined (and it is only a couple years older).

Scott

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HI, Coot4 Wizzard here
Yea, My Saskatoon tree Is still maybe 2 ft. high but did branch out alot. About 5 years old now. It’s 1 of 4 From Gurney, Yea , it’s not that it is from Gurney got a lot of thriving plants from them. Bought a Northline from Brunts 3 years old. Tried growing it in a pot for a couple years. I put it out last fall, lived the winter and it is still 7 inches tall , but alive. Wizzard Good luck

i have a apple serviceberry and a canadian serviceberry i got from oikios last year. the apple has grown 3xs bigger than the canadian and they’re planted on the same mound next to each other. i may graft a pear variety on the apple as i haven’t found a serviceberry that tastes good. they we too sweet for my taste. much prefer blueberries.