Serviceberry- Amelanchier spp.

[oxbowfarm]

When I was taking my mulberry cuttings I noticed that at least one of the serviceberry trees was fruiting heavily. They were very tasty.

I've always liked serviceberries when I've had the chance to try them. I was thinking about harvesting some of these fruits and seeing about propagating the seed. Although it's probably a lost cause, I won't be back there till next weekend by which time the birds will probably have stripped the tree clean. They seem to love them so much. But maybe all the mulberries will keep them occupied?

How early do serviceberries flower generally? We get very late frost being in the frost pocket of all frost pockets. Generally get a small apple crop one out of every four years due to late frosts on the blooms.

[ottawagardener]

Around here, they are among the first to bloom, being in flower just before or with the wild plums before the trees are leafed out. Not sure how hardy the blossoms are though we typically get high fruiting and we are known for our sneaky late frosts. However, apple-cedar rust is a pain around here with them.

[benboo]

I found a picture on my computer of the flowers, and it says I took the picture on April 8th. I think that is the date I saved it to the computer, so my guess is early April. That is before the last frost by a longshot, so the flowers should be frost tolerant.

[nathanp]

This is one of my favorite plants, though I don't use it for food. I have several planted in my front yard more as part of my landscape.

The story behind the name is that this is just about the earliest flowering shrub/small tree in New England, and after a cold winter with frozen ground, this plant flowering was a sign that the ground was defrosted enough for the early colonists to have funeral services for those who had died over the winter so they could bury the bodies.

[oxbowfarm]

Frost-proof blossoms are a big seller.

[steev]

So it was a sign to bury them because they weren't going to keep much longer?

[nathanp]

Jun 28, 2013 18:38:06 GMT -5 steev said:

So it was a sign to bury them because they weren't going to keep much longer?

Yessir! Exactly.

[steev]

Guess they hadn't heard about freeze-drying.

I know of one ancestress who didn't get buried in the family plot, because the roads were impassible to cartage. No matter, she's directly over the center of the Earth, as will we all be.