Amelanchier lamarckii seed

LATIN NAME: Amelanchier lamarckii

COMMON NAME: Juneberry

The Juneberry is a fine, small tree of the old gardens, and it has been grown for its spring blossom, its early fruit and its glowing autumn colour. The dense, rounded crown is covered with loose sprays of the white flowers in the early spring, and the small, blue-black berries follow through the early summer. The berries are sweet and mild, and the autumn brings a fine change of the leaves to the orange and the red. It is a tough, adaptable tree that takes well to the light pruning and gives a good show in three seasons.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Juneberry has a growing presence in the fruit science, and it has been studied seriously as a hardy, easy berry crop. The fruit has been looked at for its fine flavour and its natural sweetness, and the plant keeps turning up in the work on the under-used temperate fruits and the breeding of the improved forms. The early spring flowering and the ease of the growing have also drawn the attention of the breeders, and the plant is a quiet subject of the work on the ornamental small trees. The fruit is eaten by the people and the birds alike, so the information here is well grounded in the long practice.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The Juneberry is a tree of several quiet uses. The sweet, mild berries are eaten fresh, made into the jams and the pies, or left for the birds of the season, and the tree is a fine, easy choice for the home orchard and the mixed border. The white spring blossom is a good nectar source for the early bees, and the fine autumn colour adds a second show. The wood is hard and fine-grained, and the tree is also used for the shelter and the ornamental planting. It has been written up in the horticultural and the food papers for its hardy, easy fruit, and it asks for the sun and the well-drained soil.

The Juneberry is a close relative of the serviceberries of the woods of the north, and it has been grown in the gardens of the old world for its early, blueberry-like fruit and its fine, three-season look. The berries ripen in the early summer and are sweet, mild and good to eat straight from the tree, and the spring blossom is a fine early food for the bees. The autumn colour is a real second show, and the tree grows well in the ordinary garden soil with the sun or the light shade. It is an easy, dependable small tree that gives a good return for very little effort.

Juneberry is easy from the seed, though it likes a cold, damp spell first. Clean the small, brown seeds off the ripe berries, mix them with a little moist sand and keep them in the fridge for about a month, then sow them at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil. Keep the pots in a bright, cool, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings push through in good time and grow on into strong young trees that will flower and fruit in a few years.

Amelanchier lamarckii is native to North America but has become widely naturalised across much of Europe. A splendid, small, deciduous, usually multi stem tree providing almost all year round interest and which has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit. In spring, delicate white flowers are produced in bountiful racemes, perfectly complementing the emerging bronze coloured leaves. The leaves then turn green before producing a wonderful fiery display of reds and oranges in autumn. The small black autumn berries are edible and can be used to make preserves and an alternative to sloe gin. Will thrive in most soils but is at its best in acidic or neutral soil and full sun or semi shade location. This plant can be used in a mixed planting in the garden or a container. If you are growing in a pot or other container use an ericaceous compost and ensure you feed regularly as a hungry plant is a poor performer. We recommend Osmoscote pro 8-9 month applied in the early spring. One application gives the nutrients the plant requires for the whole year.