Name:  Amalanchier canadensis aka Serviceberry, Shadbush, and Shadblow

Type of Plant:  A large, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, with an open and delicate crown. This plant is native to our area, attractive to pollinators, and provides berries for birds and other wildlife.

Why I Love This Plant:   I like this plant most because it has sweet flowers in our woodlands when other plants are just beginning to wake up. It grows best in full sun or part-shade, and makes a good component of a mixed-shrub border for those who want to include more natives in their garden. It’s also open enough that you can use it as a vertical accent in perennial gardens or native plantings, without shading everything out.

This plant is best used in informal landscapes, and is perfect for planting on the edge of woodlands so that you can have the fresh, white flowers in bloom in April.

A Word to the Wise:  The one downside to Amalanchier in our area is that it’s prone to rust, especially after a damp, cool spring. Although rust doesn’t kill the plant, it can make the foliage and fruit a tad un-slightly in the worst seasons.

When all the other plants are barely breaking dormancy, Amalanchier canadensis aka Serviceberry, is in bloom. A cheerful, informal, native plant for the edge of woodlands or in a mixed shrub border.

This plant was growing in the woodland at Scorton Creek in Sandwich. The light there is dappled sunlight only during the growing season, which keeps this plant a bit thinner than others growing in full or part-sun.