Smooth Serviceberry (amelanchier laevis)

Habitat, hardiness, range

• Native to eastern Canada (including Quebec)

• Very hardy, can grow in zones 2a to 4.

• Prefers moist but well-drained soil; tolerates a range of soil types (sandy, loamy, clay) as long as drainage is adequate.

Morphology, appearance

• Mature size
• Approximately 8 m tall × ~5 m wide.
• Habit
• Ovoid (oval) shape, irregular, slightly twisted upright branches. May have a dominant stem or multiple trunks depending on location.
• Foliage
• Catkins in spring; ovate leaves, glabrous (hairless) when mature. Foliage often starts out red/bronze when budding, turning green, then taking on fall colors (yellow to orange-red).
• Flowering
• White flowers, often in numerous clusters, in spring (April-May depending on the region) before or at the same time as the leaves appear.
• Fruits
• Edible berries, initially red, then mauve/blue-violet/black-purple when ripe. Often sweet in taste, much appreciated by birds. Harvested in summer.

Cultivation requirements & tolerances

• Exposure: Full sun to partial shade.

• Soil: Must be well-drained. Tolerates a certain degree of diversity in texture, prefers cool soils.

• Humidity: Prefers moderately moist but not waterlogged soil.

• Hardiness: Very good, tolerates extreme cold.

Uses & interest

• Ornamental: Very beautiful spring flowering, colorful fall foliage, attractive habit, good choice as a specimen tree, in informal hedges, naturalization.

• Edible fruit: Small, tasty berries, used by birds and humans (fresh, in jam, etc.).

• Wildlife: Flowers attract pollinators; fruit enjoyed by birds.

Points to watch / challenges

• Relatively shallow roots; they suckering (produce suckers) in some cases.

• Low tolerance to deicing salts, compaction, and pollution according to some sources.

• Pruning is rarely necessary, but if done, it is best after flowering so as not to damage the flower buds.