Saskatoons - Anyone growing these?

[Bradybb]

I grow a popular one,Northline and agree with Viridian about the flavor.bb

[smsmith]

Lots of wild serviceberries around here. The birds get them before I can.

[snowflake]

I am growing some wild ones. The heat seems to be a stressor for them here, but I haven’t given them any special care such as mulch or otherwise. My better plants are growing close to a weed patch that gives them some partial shade early in the day…so shade might help in a hotter zone. My wild plants taste very mild (a bit bland?) with a nutty flavor. Not bad though. Birds have not bothered mine at all, but we have plenty of mulberries that time of year, so maybe that helps.

Here is one of my better young plants. The don’t seem to ripen all at the same time.

The look super big on megazoom

[BlueBerry]

I think they are my favorite fruit for fresh eating…I have never yet managed to pick enough to want to quit eating. (But, the birds love them even better than blueberries, and I know why, they’re goooooooooood.)

The amelanchier x grandiflora or apple serviceberry hybrid is the one for zone 6, with the Saskatoons for farther north. I have a few wild amalanchier canadensis and/or amelanchier lavies on my wooded property. Seldom get to eat any of the fruit…worse than cherries…birds get 'em.

[IrishFigMadness]

Thanks for that, I’m in zone 9 so it shouldn’t be a problem

[IrishFigMadness]

Looks great, it’s not to hot where I am so they should be ok

[IrishFigMadness]

Do you have a favorite of the different varieties?

[ribs1]

I have 2 bushes that I bought years ago. I really don’t like them that much.
I leave them for the birds now.

[bopcrane]

The few Amelanchier I am trying to grow at my place have been a magnet for rust and have not been happy, is anyone aware of any rust resistant varieties?

[Coot4]

I am growing Saskatoons in 4b UP of MI. I have 10 in a hedge on their 3rd spring. So far have had a few berries and they taste very nice but not at all like a blueberry.

[BlueBerry]

For looks in the front yard, try “Princess Diana” if you can find her.

Otherwise, seedling apple serviceberries== amalanchier x grandiflora which would be cheaper than the patented cultivars …. if you can find them for sale.
(So many for sale are not this hybrid…but in zone 6 it’s the preferred for fruit.)

I’d have to do a search for current ‘Availability’ as I don’t know right off.

[BlueBerry]

Autumn Brilliance is also good, and readily available at any good garden center.

[Seedy]

W. Oregon, wet-ish 8B…problems with rust (related to CAR, I believe). Birds get’em and I’m not wild about the flavor. Mine are still young, this year could be different. I haven’t done a great job of keeping them hydrated…we do have warm/dry Summers. Northline and Smokey something.

[northof53]

I have included a link to the U of S saskatoon berry page, not a lot of information, but some. We have quite a few u-pick Saskatoon berry farms up here so if the conditions are right they can be highly productive.
I am not crazy about them either, I prefer the wild blueberries. Saskatoon/Rhubarb pie is pretty good though.https://gardening.usask.ca/articles-growing-information/saskatoon-berries.php

[RichardRoundTree]

They are a bit bland but they are good and they have a pleasing soft texture. I know they can get fireblight and that the ones from CSU should be fireblight resistant. The wild ones many times can be very good.

You can prune them up to be a nice landscaping short tree here in Colorado and they make a excellent tree for areas where the sidewalk divides your lawn as they stay pretty small and there roots are not super invasive.

[NativBill1]

I have Amelanchier stolonifera from Oikos. I enjoyed many handfuls of pea sized berries last June. The bush is less than 3 feet tall and slowly suckering.

[BlueBerry]

Way to go, NativBill
I’ve not tried that variety of them…but probably just as delicious.

And, yes, they will get cedar apple rust, and yes they are a good landscape plant.

[Drew51]

I have Northline and Honeywood. Northline has fruited for two years but the birds got all of them. I have yet to taste! I have extra nets this year!! I’m in 5a/6b and the alnifolia species grows just fine here. I would like to add Autumn Brilliance one day too.

You know the wood is very hard and dense. The Indians used them for arrows. Much like in Europe they used Cornus mas dogwood. The wood of both I heard is so dense green wood sinks in water. Cornus mas was used for arrows and spears too. I have a hedge of them. You can’t have too many berries!

[IrishFigMadness]

Those varieties are actually stocked at a nearby nursery, I’ll check them out. thanks

[IrishFigMadness]

Thanks for that