Aronia melanocarpa
$64.99
Aronia melanocarpa combines edible black fruit with white spring flowers and red-purple fall color in a broad wildlife-friendly hedge.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
Aronia melanocarpa forms a broad, suckering deciduous shrub with glossy green leaves, white spring flower clusters, edible purplish-black fruit, and vivid red-purple fall color. Its dense growth works well in an edible hedge, rain garden, or wildlife planting.
Plant it in full sun for the best fruit crop, or use partial shade where a lighter harvest is acceptable. It adapts to clay, loam, or sand and handles moist sites when drainage remains adequate.
The tart, bitter, astringent pomes ripen from late summer into early autumn and mellow when processed into juice, jam, or jelly. Water during establishment, keep an organic mulch over the root area, and remove suckers if you do not want a colony.
Additional information
| Height | 150 cm – 250 cm |
|---|---|
| Spread | 250 cm – 400 cm |
| Flowering months | May, June, April |
| Synonyms | Aronia nigra, Sorbus melanocarpa |
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Propagation | Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or remove suckers while plants are dormant. |
| Pests | Birds, deer, rabbits, rodents, and several fruit insects may feed on plants or fruit. |
| Diseases | May be affected by leaf spots, twig and fruit blight, or rusts. |
| Pruning | Remove root suckers as needed, and prune old canes in late winter or early spring before bud break. |
| Hazardous | unknown |
| Variegated | unknown |
| Watering instructions | Water during establishment, then irrigate during prolonged dry periods. |
| Sunlight instructions | Grow in full sun for the best crop, or use partial shade. |
| Color flower spring | White |
| Color flower summer | White |
| Aspect | East, South, West |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Habit | Bushy, Suckering |
| Moisture | Wet or Damp Soil, Moist but Well Drained |
| Ph | Acid, Neutral |
| Position | Full sun, Partial shade |
| Shape | Upright, Spreading |
| Suggest planting location | Pollinator Garden, Hedges and screening plants, Edible fruit plants, Wildlife friendly gardens, Rain Garden |
| Type | Fruit |
| Use for | Bird-Friendly, Pollinator-Friendly, Edible |
| Years to max height | 5 |
| Drought resistance | no |
| Soil | Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Harvest in | 8, 9 |
| Local names | Black Chokeberry |
| Blomidon Item No | MO23000766, AROMEA0003G, AROMELS0002G, AROMELS0603G |
| Usps | White spring flowers lead to edible black pomes in late summer., Red-purple fall foliage gives the broad hedge a vivid finish. |
| Common Name | Black Chokeberry |