THIESSEN saskatoon berry

🌳 General description

• Botanical name: Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Thiessen’

• Common name: Thiessen's serviceberry, Saskatoon ‘Thiessen’

• Family: Rosaceae

• Origin: Canadian selection, adapted to the Prairies

🌱Characteristics

• Type
• Fruit shrub
• Mature size
• 3 to 5 m tall
• Width
• 2 to 4 m
• Growth
• Moderately fast
• Foliage
• Deciduous, dark green, turning yellow in fall
• Flowering
• Spring (April-May)
• Flowers
• White, in clusters, honey-producing
• Fruit
• Purple-black berries, juicy, sweet
• Fruit maturity
• Late June to early July (early)

🍇 Fruit – Why ‘Thiessen’ is appreciated

• Fruit size: Very large berry (among the largest of the serviceberry cultivars)

• Taste: Sweet, sometimes compared to blueberries with a hint of almond

• Uses:

• Fresh consumption

• Pies, jams, juice, drying

• Easy to freeze

• Productivity: Excellent

• Self-fertile: Yes, but multiple plants improve production

🌿Growing conditions

• Hardiness zone
• 2 to 7 (withstands -40°C)
• Exposure
• Sun to partial shade
• Soil
• Well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic
• Care
• Light pruning, watering during prolonged drought
• Resistance
• Good resistance to diseases and insects

✅ Advantages of the ‘Thiessen’ cultivar

• Remarkable fruit size

• Cold resistant

• Stable production

• Ornamental flowering

• Low maintenance

⚠️ Points to watch out for

• Ripeness is not always uniform (some fruits ripen earlier than others)

• Birds love the fruit → consider protecting the plants if necessary

🌸 In summary

The ‘Thiessen’ serviceberry is an excellent choice for lovers of northern berries. Whether planted as a fruit hedge, in a bed, or as a solitary tree, it offers both ornamental and nutritional value. Its hardiness and ease of care make it an ideal candidate for gardens in cold climates.