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Low Scape Mound ® mordant chokeberry ( Aronia melanocarpa ) . picture by : Proven Winners .
In late years , chokeberry ( Aronia ) has advance renewed attention for its kitchen range of health benefits . Long a staple of Eastern European diets , this superfood has only lately been rediscovered in the United States , even though it ’s aboriginal to woodlands , swamps , and bogs of easterly North America . Chokeberry is a various low - alimony bush that can easily be develop in home garden .
With three - time of year interest , tolerance of a wide range of growing consideration and nutritious edible fruit , chokeberrymakes an invaluable addition to any landscape .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care and Maintenance|Pictures|Design Ideas
On this page :
CHOKEBERRY BASICS
Botanical name:
Aroniaspp .
Common names:
Also known as black chokeberry and red chokeberry ; sometimes obscure with chokecherry ( Prunus virginiana ) because of the like uncouth name .
Zones:
Zones 3 - 9
Habit:
shaggy-haired wont
Height/Spread:
8 inches to 12 feet improbable , 1 - 1/2 to 10 foundation wide
Exposure:
fond shade to full sun
Bloom time:
Spring
Flowers:
Prolific bunch of sweet-scented blooms appear in spring . The five - petaled white or pink - tinged flowers , 1/2 inch across , have distinct dark pink tipped stamens and draw in insect pollinator .
Fruit:
From late summer to fall , glossy edible blueberry bush - comparable fruits are produce in colors of smutty , violet , or ruddy . Aronia is ego - fat , but will have bigger fruits and big harvests when implant near other specimens .
Foliage:
Finely toothed green leaves 1 to 4 inches prospicient are lance or oval - shaped with a calendered sheen . The foliation turns splendid chromaticity of red , orangish or purple in fall .
Types of aronia:
There are two main specie , red chokeberry ( Aronia arbutifolia ) and black chokeberry ( A. melanocarpa ) , as well imperial chokeberry ( A. prunifolia ) , which is a natural hybrid of the other two . Most naturalize varieties are black chokeberries .
Toxicity:
Aronia is not consider toxic to pets or minor .
Are chokeberries deer resistant?
Younger flora are more susceptible to deer browsing . Protect with fencing or other roadblock until well established . Overall resistance depend on the metre of twelvemonth and amount of competition for food . browse becomes less of a trouble by and by in the time of year when other intellectual nourishment sources are plentiful .
PLANTING CHOKEBERRY
When to plant:
Aronia can be planted in spring or fall when the weather is temperate .
Where to plant:
Plant in a site that receives full to partial sun . Plants will bring forth the most flowers and berries when they receive at least 6 hour of full sun per daylight . Too much shade will leave in weak growth and inadequate product .
How to plant:
Loosen soil in an area that is three time as wide and deep as the container the flora is in . Amend the ground with compost or other organic matter . If plants are pot - bound , mildly tease out the roots . apprehend a muddle the size of the stem ball and put the plant in the hole so the top of the ascendant ball is level with the surrounding grunge . fulfill in the hole with soil , tamp down gently to remove air pockets , and weewee soundly . Water plants regularly until established . blank space plant 4 to 6 foot apart . Mulch around plants to master dope and retain wet .
CHOKEBERRY CARE & MAINTENANCE
Pruning aronia plants:
Aroniablooms on old forest . gently mold industrial plant as require in late winter or after florescence . Remove dead or diseased branches . fall guy will uprise around the foundation of the plant . dispatch these rooting branches as they appear to prevent spreading .
To regenerate plant , thin out a third of older stems every few years . Older specimen may benefit from a more severe pruning back to a few invertebrate foot marvellous every few years .
Soil:
Does best in moist , well - drain soil that is slenderly acidic . plant are large-minded of alkaline pH , road table salt , and a wide-eyed range of soils , including sand and corpse . Aronia will even grow in wet soil , make it a good selection for boggy areas where little else will turn .
Amendments & fertilizer:
postulate little or no supplemental plant food . If desired , apply a balanced slow - discharge fertilizer in saltation and add a slender layer of compost around the base of the plants .
Watering:
Keep filth evenly moist until plant are established . Mature plant life do good with moderate water , but are tolerant of drought and undue moisture . To maximise fruit production , provide steady water and increase irrigation in extreme heat or prolonged dry spells .
Diseases and pests:
Few plague or disease problem . gadfly can includeaphids , scale , lace bug , shine webworm , or apple maggot . Diseases can let in yield or sprig blight , leaf blot , orpowdery mildew .
CHOKEBERRY PICTURES
Photo by : Proven winner
Low Scape Mound ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersBlack chokeberry , Aronia melanocarpa
Zones:3 - 9Habit : Mounding broadcast habitHeight / Spread:12 to 14 in tall , 18 to 34 inches wideColor : lily-white efflorescence , unripened foliage , black berry , red fall foliation
The neat mound groundcover substance abuse is what sets this award - advance smorgasbord apart . Prolific clusters of clean flower muffle the shiny leaf in spring , followed by imperial - black fruit that contrast beautifully with the smart as a whip red fall leaf .
Low Scape Snowfire ® —Buy now from Proven WinnersBlack chokeberry , A. melanocarpa
Zones:3 - 9Habit : upright piano mounding habitHeight / Spread:3 to 4 feet tall and wideColor : White flush , greenish foliage , dark blue berries , bright red drop foliage
Low Scape Snowfire aronia is a aboriginal shrub that beautifies gardens and supports wildlife with its white flower , dark blue fruits , and brilliant drop leafage , all while tolerating a wide ambit of growing conditions .
Ground Hug ™ —Buy now from Proven WinnersBlack chokeberry , A. melanocarpa
Zones:3 - 9Habit : Low circulate habitHeight / Spread:8 to 14 inches tall , 36 inches wideColor : White prime , green foliage , black Berry , red spill foliation
With a scurvy , dense mat - forming habit , this smorgasbord is useful for covering challenging web site where little else will grow . lustrous blue purple Chuck Berry stomach out against the bright cherry fall foliage .
photograph by : Paul S Drobot / Millette Photomedia
‘ Autumn Magic’Black chokeberry , A. melanocarpa
Zones:3 - 8Habit : vertical spread habitHeight / Spread:4 to 6 foot tall and wideColor : livid flowers , green foliation , black Charles Edward Berry , red and purple fall color .
This medium - sized smorgasbord is more summary than the unbowed mintage , with a fast , even growth habit . Abundant clump of glossy dark Berry contrast attractively with the vibrant ruddy and purple fall foliage .
Photo by : ben44 / Shutterstock
‘ Viking’Black chokeberry , A. melanocarpa
Zones:3 - 8Habit : upright piano spreading habitHeight / Spread:3 to 6 feet tall and wideColor : White flowers , green foliage , black berries , over-embellished and crimson fall color
Developed in Europe as an orchard plant , ‘ Viking ’ was take for its larger fruits and prolific yield . moody regal - black berries abide out against the vivid red surrender foliage . Fruits hold on into wintertime , providing a food informant for songbirds and other wildlife .
picture by : Rock Giguere / Millette Photomedia
Iroquois Beauty ™ ( syn . ‘ Morton’)Black chokeberry , A. melanocarpa
Zones:3 - 8Habit : Compacted round habitHeight / Spread:2 to 4 feet marvelous , 3 to 5 understructure wideColor : White flowers , green foliage , black berries , orangish - red twilight foliage
This compact variety is suitable for smaller spaces . Orange - red free fall foliage is specially pictorial , contrasting attractively with the glazed dark black Chuck Berry .
Aronia alternatives : Blueberry bushes grow similar looking edible berry with a sweeter taste sensation , and also develop brainy fall color . low-down growing huckleberries can be substituted for dwarf varieties of aronia .
LANDSCAPE DESIGN TIPS
With all the variation and seasonal pursuit that aronias bring to the garden , the uses are almost endless .
ARONIA HEALTH BENEFITS
The common name of chokeberry concern to the tartness of the edible fruits , which have a taste so bitter they can cause a perish sensation when eaten fresh . Considered a superfood , aronia berries are gamey in vitamin C , antioxidants , and flavonoid .
potential wellness benefit include boosting the immune scheme , reducing cell damage due to cancer , improving liver function , protect against coronary disease , and reducing firing due to diabetes . The bitter taste is tempered by processing the berries into jam , jelly , juice , syrup , and wine-colored . The berry can also be dry or brew into tea .
