What Is a Serviceberry Bush?

Types

• Worldwide, roughly 25 species of serviceberries grow in woodlands and along stream banks in Europe, Asia and North America. Most mature into small trees 20 to 40 feet tall, but a few develop with a more shrubby habit with multiple trunks and low branches, sometimes suckering to create a small thicket. Among those with a large shrubby appearance are Amelanchier alnifolia, A. arborea, A. canadensis, A. laevis, A. stolonifera, A. lamarckii and the hybrid A. x grandiflora. Description of serviceberries as shrubs or bushes is subjective, as even the treelike species are smaller and bushy early in their lives.

Features

• Unless you're an experienced botanist or horticulturist, differentiating among the numerous species of serviceberries is difficult, especially when leaf hairiness may be the only clue. All serviceberries are deciduous in winter and cover their naked branches with hundreds of five-petaled white blossoms in late winter or early spring, depending on climate. Pollinated by bees, a flower produces a small blueberrylike fruit that is violet-pink but ripens to blue-purple. It is sweet and often robbed by keen birds before you have a chance to pick them. In autumn, leaves turn colors and drop rather early compared to other woody garden plants.

Cultivars

• Among the many serviceberry species and hybrids, horticulturists selected various cultivars based on their different ornamental flowering, fruiting or mature size qualities. Some cultivars develop a small, more bushlike habit, perhaps maturing no more than 10 feet tall. Regent matures to only 6 feet tall, while Prince William matures 8 to 10 feet in height. Sprinzam, which is marketed under the trademark name Spring Glory, grows 10 to 12 feet tall.

Growing Conditions

• Serviceberries perform well in any acidic to neutral pH soil that is fertile, moist but well drained. Adding organic matter and mulching the soil mimics the woodland conditions these plants experience in their native habitats. For best flowering and fruiting, plant serviceberries in full to partial sun, with no less than eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Insufficient light causes plants to lean toward the light source and develop irregular, sparse silhouettes. The main concern with growing serviceberries is their susceptibility to the disease fireblight, as well as numerous fungal diseases that can affect leaves and young twigs. Grow them in cold temperate climates, such as in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8.