Saskatoon a great decorative fruit-bearer

Have you ever heard of Saskatoon? It is commonly named Juneberry or Serviceberry, Amelanchier spp. They are large shrubs or single trees reaching 4-25 feet tall and 4-25 feet wide depending on the cultivar. This fruit bearing tree does more than bear fruit. It gives a homeowner year-round interest starting with white flowers in the spring, yellow to red fall foliage, smooth gray bark in the winter and of course, edible purple fruit in summer. These fruits are great for making jams, jellies and pies. The fruit is actually a pome, like an apple, but is said to taste like a blueberry.

This is quite a versatile fruit tree/shrub. According to University of Idaho trials, Saskatoon does well at a 5.5 pH all the way to near 8.0 pH. Well-drained soils such as sandy loam and loam are the best. However, some silt loams that are well-drained will work. Most of all, clay will create root problems. The majority of cultivars are self-fruitful and you do not need to plant for cross pollination. Here are a few choices:

— Honeywood: 15 feet tall by 12 feet wide and blooms later than most varieties with a larger cluster of fruit.

— Northline: 12 feet tall by 18 feet wide and has medium to large sweet berries. This cultivar will produce suckers.

— Pembina: 15 feet tall by 15 feet wide with smaller fruits with great flavor. This too will produce a few suckers.

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