Common Chokecherry

The delightful and hardy native shrub with a world of perks, the Common Chokecherry Bush (Prunus virginiana) is an extremely hardy flowering edible ornamental shrub! A wonderful wildlife plant, Chokecherry are related to Cherry trees, Plums, Apricots, and Peaches, and the fragrant blooms provide nectar and shelter for butterflies, birds, and chipmunks!

Remarkably beautiful every season, spring's white fragrant blossoms are a boon to beneficial insects and the finely-toothed, shiny leaves emerge bright green after the flowers bloom.

In late summer, tiny and tart, dark purple Chokecherries develop and decorate the shrub in long, drooping clusters, creating a showy ornamental display! These fall color shrubs deepen and take on warm orange and reddish-purple tones before the leaves drop before winter.

Also known as Bitter-Berry, Chokecherry, Virginia Bird Cherry, and Western Chokecherry, these deciduous native shrubs have a pyramidal to oval habit, the uniform canopy and branching look amazing with a covering of white snow. Incredibly cold-hardy throughout USDA planting zones 2 through 7. Despite being considered shrubs, these large shrubs can reach 20-30 feet in height and 15-20 feet in width.

Planting and Application:

The dark purple-red cherries, once a staple of Native Americans and settlers, can be used for jam and wine (removing the seeds first). Bitter enough to make you 'choke' these need plenty of sweeteners when used for your baked goods and desserts.

Fortunately, birds don't have taste buds and absolutely adore Chokecherries and at least 70 species of songbirds (both local and migrating) feast on the fruit. Wonderful bird-friendly backdrops, or informal hedges along your property line, garage, or outbuildings.

Chokecherry bushes grace your patio plantings or are ideal when repeated along the length of your mixed shrub border. Use en masse as hedgerows, windbreaks, and shelterbelts to boost the visual appeal. They're a nice choice to add to a permaculture setting or wildlife landscape. Mix and match with Chokeberry Aronia, Elderberry, Currant bushes, and Sand Cherry bushes for a wonderful mixed edible landscaping fruit buffet in your own backyard!

These large shrubs are wonderful screening, forming naturalized thickets and hedges with ease. It's easy to create a beautiful specimen tree with a little selective pruning. You can 'limb-up' these shrubs to create smaller tree forms by removing the lower limbs and exposing the multi-stemmed canopy.

• Fragrant White Spring Flowers for Pollinators
• Large Shrub or Small Tree
• Four-Seasons of Interest!
• Bee & Butterfly Friendly & Bird & Wildlife Food/Shelter
• Hedges, Shelterbelts, Screening, En Masse & Tree-Form Specimens!

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Get the most berries and best growth by planting your Chokecherry in full sun. Chokecherry are waterwise shrubs and adaptable to a variety of conditions and extreme cold. These tough native shrubs even tolerate poor soils, they do require very well-drained soil and regular moisture through the summer fruiting season.

Provide a well-drained moderately moist site with Nature Hills Root Booster and a healthy layer of arborist bark chips. Clean-up is easy since the first freeze causes all the foliage to drop, but not until you get to enjoy the yellow fall color. Prune for size and shape after flowering, and you can remove the suckers easily to maintain a tidy clump or a multi-stemmed tree form. You can also use renewal pruning to remove older, less vigorous stems and encourage younger, more fruitful stems to take their place. Remove no more than a third of the branching every 3-5 years.

• Cold Hardy in Full Sun & Part Sun
• Adaptable to Most Well-Drained Soil Types
• Regular to Low Moisture Needs
• Drought Tolerant & Tolerates Poor, Dry Conditions
• Prune After Flowering

The Common Chokecherry Tree has it all! Four seasons of beauty - fragrant white flowers for pollinators, lush colorful foliage, and fall color, plus edible berries for you and wildlife! Order yours today at NatureHills.com!