Saskatoons - Anyone growing these?

[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

[Codym17]

Im always surprised to see there are so many people that dont care for these. My wife and i tried them once off an autumn brilliance at a nursery and they were delicious. I love blueberries and id say i like these just as much.
Not saying they taste that similar, alot of times my blueberries are a little more tart than id like these were not tart at all, which was nice. The only reason i havent planted a couple of these is because of CAR, my acerage is packed with cedar trees. I might give it a try anyway and spray them, i couldnt really find anything about CAR resistance like you can for apples.

[Rach]

I put 10 Smokey in the ground last year, they didn’t grow much and I lost some but I am looking forward to trying the berries. The wild June berry trees that grow here taste pretty good but the birds usually get them. The grocery store has several trees planted in the parking lot that I forage from in the summer that taste great.

[snowflake]

I planted my wild ones about 100 yards south of my many cedars, and they seem mostly unaffected by CAR. You might be fine with a bit of distance.

[BlueBerry]

Northline and Honeywood are Amelanchier alnifolia, and are no doubt the best choice if you live in Saskatchewan or Minnesota. They are a commercial crop in Canada.

They had mildew problems in Kentucky. But since we have Amelanchier lavies, Amelanchier Canadensis, Amelanchier stolonifera, and Amelanchier arborea in our hills and mountains, the natives or the hybrids are better in Mid-Atlantic or Southern states.

Most of the “apple serviceberry” hybrids are a cross of Amelanchier arborea x Amelanchier lavies (the Appalachian serviceberry). “Amelanchier x grandiflora” is the designation.

There are at least half a dozen others, including Asiatic serviceberry. And a neighbor of mine has an Amelanchier lavies that is 72 feet tall…but even that isn’t a record.