Plant Type

Tree, Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12', 12-25'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

Blue, Purple

 

Fruit Season

Summer

Sun

Full, Half, Shade

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Meadow, Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish, Native Garden, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Multi-trunk Tree, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Perennial Border, Shrub Border, Foundation, Patio

 

Special Uses

Screen, Mass Planting, Naturalizing, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Saskatoon Serviceberry is a small tree or large shrub, growing about 12 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide, usually with multiple stems. It has a white spring flower that is followed by edible fruit, which starts out red and ripens to a deep blue black. The fruit, which grows in clusters and is about the size of a current, is tasty out of hand, in preserves, or dried like raisins. Leaves are oval and dull greenk, turning orange to scarlet in the fall. Well suited to the shrub border, near a patio, or in an edible garden.

Grows in well drained soils in full sun to light shade. Adaptable to soil types, including sandy, loamy, or clay soils. Grows in acid, neutral, and alkaline soils. Best fruit will occur with regular watering, but it is drought tolerant. Does not require a pollinator. Tolerates alkaline soils to 7.5 pH. Root suckers are common and if not removed, will result in a dense, shrubby habit, which is not necessarily a bad thing. A Utah native, it is found in protected, cool, canyon locations.