Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America. Amur chokecherries provide four seasons of interest inthelandscape. In midspring, the tree is covered in fragrant white flowers, which also attract pollinators to the garden. The blooms are followed in summer by the black colored berries that birds and other wildlife find irresistible. Chokecherries ripening on the branch in summer in Bowmont natural environment park.Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) leaves in autumn color covered with snow after early snowfall at the beginning of October in Calgary, Canada. Chokecherry fruits grow in clusters and are spherical, measuring 0.6 to 1 cm (1/4 to 3/8 inch) in diameter. Their color varies from white through deep red to black, according to the variety. Chokecherries usually drop their fruits by mid-fall. Actual chokecherry fruits begin to form in late June or early July and typically ripen in late July or early August. Ripe chokecherry drupes, or a fruit with a thin skin and a seed inthe middle like a plum or peach, range in color from dark red to deep purple. At least three species of chokecherry grow in Alaska but are not native to Alaska and have become an invasive species. They are commonly planted as ornamental plants but have spread and become established inthe wild, displacing native vegetation such as willow that moose prefer. The Chokecherries are in bloom! Chokecherries are one of our most widespread, accommodating and easy to grow native shrubs.That is great for a pollinator habitat garden on the wild side, less so for a carefully manicured landscape. The Chokecherry Primer: Identification, Harvesting, and Safety. Before you can even think about making jelly, you need to be confident in what you’re picking and understand the golden rules of handling chokecherries. This isn’t just about good cooking; it’s about safety. Chokecherries are equally ubiquitous in yards throughout the city. Moose do not seem to be fond of chokecherries, which is one reason why they are popular landscape plants in Alaska. The chokecherries themselves grow in small easy to pick clusters of fruit, that hang from the branches, and have a single pit or stone in each fruit. These seeds are quite large, and take up about a third to a half of the volume of the fruit. How to Use ChokecherryintheLandscape. Chokecherry is commonly used as a windbreak on farms, riparian plantings, and for highway beautification. Due to its suckering habitat (and potential toxicity), care should be take when determining where to plant chokecherries. Chokecherry Planting Instructions: How To Use ChokecherriesInTheLandscape | Chokecherry tree, Chokecherry, Growing fruit trees.Glossy Black Chokeberry Tree for Your Perennial Garden. Backyard Landscaping Ideas. Full Sun Garden Plants. Chokecherries are inthe stone fruit family, along with cherries and plums. Unlike wild pin cherries, which produce individual fruits to be spread by birds, chokecherries produce large fruit clusters for mammalian hands to pick easily. The people who grew up making chokecherry jelly are not being replaced with children who know the crop. EDIBLE LANDSCAPING. ‘Canada Red’ was popular with commercial landscapersinthe late 1990s due to its red leaves and extreme hardiness, but inthe Midwest...
