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Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier) Plant

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  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    It has a lot of names ... apparently, @Hostafan1

    "...Amelanchier alnifolia, the saskatoon, Pacific serviceberry, western serviceberry, alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, chuckley pear, or western juneberry, is a shrub with edible berry-like fruit, native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north-central United States. Wikipedia

    This site https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Amelanchier+alnifolia suggests it grows to 4m x 3m
    I've never heard of any of those either. 
    Isn't it easier to use the one "botanical" name?
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Hostafan1 said:
    It has a lot of names ... apparently, @Hostafan1

    "...Amelanchier alnifolia, the saskatoon, Pacific serviceberry, western serviceberry, alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, chuckley pear, or western juneberry, is a shrub with edible berry-like fruit, native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north-central United States. Wikipedia

    This site https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Amelanchier+alnifolia suggests it grows to 4m x 3m
    I've never heard of any of those either. 
    Isn't it easier to use the one "botanical" name?
    What?!   That'd be a bit radical for a Sutton's catalogue  ;)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hostafan1 said:
    It has a lot of names ... apparently, @Hostafan1

    "...Amelanchier alnifolia, the saskatoon, Pacific serviceberry, western serviceberry, alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, chuckley pear, or western juneberry, is a shrub with edible berry-like fruit, native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north-central United States. Wikipedia

    This site https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Amelanchier+alnifolia suggests it grows to 4m x 3m
    I've never heard of any of those either. 
    Isn't it easier to use the one "botanical" name?

    As described in the cat.

    THE NEW BLUEBERRY' - “Looking and tasting like a sweet, fragrant blueberry, the flesh of this fruit is studded with little marzipan-flavoured seeds, creating a delicious two-toned flavour”.

    Tasting like blueberry and cherry, with a hint of almond. This anthocyanin rich fruit is perfect for jams, smoothies and other desserts.

    Origin: Canada. Amelanchier canadensis is a beautiful shrub which will grow in sun or part shade, growing to 200-250cm it has pretty star-shaped white flowers in the spring, which are followed by juicy anthocyanin rich fruits ready for picking from early July, and the added bonus of glorious autumn foliage. Easier to grow than blueberries as it will grow in any soil, they are super-cold hardy and resistant to all kinds of pests and diseases. The reddish-purple berries are packed with vitamins and antioxidants, perfect to eat fresh from the bush like blueberries, or ideal to bake and preserve. Supplied in a 4 litre pot


  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Never got berries on one I had as the blackbirds always got there first, if I'd known they tasted a bit like marzipan though I might have saved some, love marzipan.
  • Right. I am off to order a 35cm pot !

    preparing your blueberry plant

    Remove the blueberry plant from its plastic pot and soak it in a bucket of rainwater for about 20 minutes prior to planting. Select an attractive-looking container about 38cm (15in) wide and cover the bottom with crocks for drainage. Put a layer of good quality ericaceous compost in the bottom of the container and place the plastic pot on top of it. Fill around the pot with compost.

    https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/home-garden/gardening/fruit-and-veg/growing-blueberries-in-pots




  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    The blueberry bushes your link is referring to I wouldn't say that's the same plant we are talking about.
    To me an Amelchanier is a large shrub or trees.
    I think of  a blueberry bush rather like a gooseberry or blackcurrant bush 
    Am I getting it wrong?
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2020
    The picture below shows a couple of our blueberry bushes ... planted the same year as the Amelanchier in my  earlier post. 

    They are nothing like each other except they both produce blueish-blackish berries; they’re not even related! 

    Think Suttons may have overdone the ‘marketing spin’. 



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    An Amelianchier isn't a blueberry, it's a much bigger plant. Calling it "the new blueberry" is just a bit of marketing nonsense. The fruits might look superficially a bit blueberry-ish but otherwise it's not even similar.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    One wonders why some folk ask questions if they presume to already know the answers
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    And has been said ... there’s no way you can pick a crop of amelanchier berries ... the blackbirds and pigeons strip the trees before they’re ripe 🙄 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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