| Content |  Common Name: black chokeberry Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Rosaceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge, Naturalize, Rain Garden
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy, Edible
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Plants have a wide range of soil tolerance including boggy soils. Best fruit production usually occurs in full sun. Remove root suckers to prevent colonial spread unless desired.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Aronia melanocarpa, commonly called black chokeberry, is an open, upright, spreading, somewhat rounded but leggy, suckering, deciduous shrub that typically grows 3-6’ tall. It is native to low woods, swamps, bogs and moist thickets but occasionally to dry upland areas, from Newfoundland to southern Ontario and Minnesota south to Missouri, Tennessee and Georgia. It is noted for its 5-6 flowered clusters of white 5-petaled spring (May) flowers, glossy elliptic to obovate dark green leaves (to 2-3” long) with finely toothed margins, black autumn berries (blueberry size) and purple/red fall color.
Genus name comes from the Greek word aria the name for a species of Sorbus of which the fruits resemble chokeberry.
Specific epithet comes from the words melano meaning "black" and carpa meaning "fruit" in reference to the color of ripe fruits of this species.
The common name of chokeberry is in reference to the tart and bitter taste of the fruits which are edible but so astringent as to cause choking in most of those who try. Fruits are sometimes used to make tasty jams and jellies.
'Viking' is an upright, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub that was developed in Europe as an orchard plant. It has glossy elliptic to obovate dark green leaves (to 2-3” long) with finely toothed margins. The leaves turn an attractive red in fall. In spring, slightly earlier than the species, it has 5 to 6-flowered clusters of white 5-petaled, fragrant flowers that mature into purplish black edible berries that ripen in late summer. The berries are high in nutrients and can be used for juice, pies and jellies or to provide food for birds and other wildlife. 'Viking' grows 3 to 6 ft. tall and wide.
|  Amelanchier × grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance'
Shrub form
Amelanchier x grandiflora is a hybrid cross between two species of North American serviceberry, namely, A. arborea (downy serviceberry) and A. laevis (Allegheny serviceberry). It is known in commerce today by several showy cultivars. This is a small, deciduous, usually multi-trunked understory tree or tall shrub which typically matures to 15-20’ tall. Flowers bloom in April followed by edible fruits (3/8" diameter) in June (hence the sometimes-used common name of Juneberry for amelanchiers). Berries resemble blueberries in taste and may be used in jams, jellies and pies. Finely-toothed, oval-lanceolate leaves (to 3" long) emerge with bronze tints in spring, mature to dark green from late spring throughout summer before finally turning brilliant red to orange-red in fall.
Common Name: apple serviceberry
Type: Tree
Family: Rosaceae
Zone: 4 to 9
Height: 15.00 to 25.00 feet
Spread: 15.00 to 25.00 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Flowering Tree
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy, Edible |
 Features
The first to bloom!
Quick Fire® hydrangea blooms about a month before any other panicle hydrangea – usually by 4th of July in our West Michigan trial gardens. Flowers open pure white then turn pink, and will be an extremely dark rosy-pink in the fall. The flower color on Quick Fire hydrangea is not affected by soil pH. Blooms on this super-hardy and easy to grow hydrangea are produced on new wood, which means that you will see flowers even after even the harshest winters. Beautiful for use as a cut (fresh or dried) flower. Unlike other panicle hydrangeas, Quick Fire also has excellent fall foliage color for a final hurrah before winter.
Top reasons to grow Quick Fire® hydrangea:
– the earliest blooming panicle hydrangea – gives you months and months of blooms.
– excellent fall color – blooms turn deep red, leaves turn gold and burgundy.
– lacecap variety attracts pollinators.
Deadheading Not Necessary
Characteristics
Garden Height: 72 – 96 Inches
Flower Shade: White changing to pink
Plant Needs
Light Requirement: Part Sun to Sun
Maintenance Category: Easy
Hardiness Zones: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Uses Notes:
A very hardy flowering shrub good for full sun locations – the hotter your climate, however, the more shade the plant will require. Perfect for a mixed container. Good for groupings and in mass plantings, shrub and perennial borders, as a specimen, a screen or a hedge.
Maintenance Notes:
Panicle hydrangeas like Quick Fire are very easy to care for. They can grow in most soils, provided they are well-drained.
Panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood, which means they can be pruned in spring and will still bloom that season. We recommend cutting them back by about one-third their total height in early spring, just as the new growth is beginning to emerge on the stems. This will serve to remove the spent blooms and ensure that the season’s growth comes from the heavier, thicker buds further down the plant.
If blooms do not age to pink and red, this indicates that the plant is either in too much shade, that it experienced drought stress, or that night time temperatures were unusually high.
Quick Fire® Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bulk’ USPP 16,812, Can 3,398
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 Features
Loads of flowers on a tiny plant!
This dwarf panicle hydrangea will turn heads! Bobo ® hydrangea is engulfed by large white flowers in summer. The flowers are held upright on strong stems, and continue to grow and lengthen as they bloom. No flopping, unlike some panicle hydrangeas! As blooms age, they turn pink.
It is compact and dwarf in habit, and the flowers cover every inch of the plant right down to the ground. This plant was developed by Johan Van Huylenbroeck, the same breeder that developed Pinky Winky ® hydrangea.
Characteristics
Duration: Shrub
Shrub Type: Deciduous
Height Category: Medium
Garden Height: 30 – 36 Inches
Spacing: 48 – 60 Inches
Spread: 36 – 48 Inches
Flower Colors: Pink
Flower Colors: White
Flower Shade: White summer flowers turn pink in autumn
Foliage Colors: Green
Foliage Shade: green
Habit: Mounded
Container Role: Thriller
Plant Needs
Light Requirement: Part Sun to Sun
Maintenance Category: Easy
Blooms On: New Wood
Bloom Time: Early Summer
Bloom Time: Mid Summer
Bloom Time: Late Summer
Bloom Time: Early Fall
Hardiness Zones: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a
Water Category: Average
Uses: Container
Uses: Landscape
Maintenance Notes: Prefers good, loamy soil. Adaptable to many soils, moderate moisture required. Blooms regardless of climate, soil, pH or pruning. Prune in late winter/early spring. Fertilize in early spring by applying a slow release fertilizer specialized for trees and shrubs. Follow the label recommendations for rates of application.
Bobo® Hydrangea paniculata ‘ILVOBO’ USPP 22,782, Can 4,910
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 Features
Dwarf ‘Limelight’ hydrangea!
Compared to its famous sibling ‘Limelight’, Little Lime hardy hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) may seem like a pipsqueak. Don’t let this petite shrub fool you. While maintaining its short stature of 3-5’ tall and wide, it really packs a visual punch in the garden. In summer, lime green blooms open on strong stems – no drooping here. As it ages, rich pink coloring emerges to prolong the show through fall.
Little Lime hydrangea is small enough to grow in containers and also stands out as a bold mass planting. Its bright bloom coloration makes it an excellent choice for cut flower gardens and can be used fresh or dried. This reliable performer blooms on new wood, so a quick trim in late winter or early spring will encourage fresh growth and an abundance of buds. Like most hardy hydrangeas, it is hardy to Zone 3 and does best in full sun or part shade.
Summer flowers open soft green and turn pink and burgundy in fall.
2016 – Selected as landscape plant of the year
2015 – Awarded a Gold Medal from The Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society.
2013 – Awarded Plantarium Gold Medal
2013 – Green is Life Bronze Medal
2011 – American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) Management Clinic Best New Plant award.
Characteristics
Garden Height: 36 – 60 Inches
Flower Shade: Green, turning pink in fall
Plant Needs
Light Requirement: Part Sun to Sun
Maintenance Category: Easy
Hardiness Zones: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Uses Notes:
Excellent for the mixed border or foundation plantings. This compact, hardy hydrangea fits easily into smaller landscapes, including container gardens.
Maintenance Notes:
Prune in late winter/early spring. Apply a controlled release fertilizer in early spring. A supplemental dose of liquid feed may be needed in mid summer. Soil pH does not affect bloom color.
Little Lime® Hydrangea paniculata ‘Jane’ USPP 22,330, Can 3,914
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 Features
The myth, the legend, the plant: ‘Limelight’ hydrangea.
This unique panicle hydrangea revolutionized landscaping across North America. Huge, football-shaped flowers open in an elegant celadon green that looks fresh and clean in summer’s heat. The blooms age to an array of pink, red, and burgundy which persists through frost for months of irresistible flowers. You can use ‘Limelight’ hydrangea just about any way you can imagine: as a showy flowering hedge, to screen off air conditioners, as an attention-getting specimen, in containers, flower gardens, or anywhere around your home. A long-time favorite of professional florists, it also makes an excellent cut flower, fresh or dried.
Top three reasons to grow ‘Limelight’ hydrangea:
– It’s a time-tested classic that graces the yards of thousands of homes across North America
– Large flowers have a unique color that looks great with any style and color of house.
– Blooms every year, even in cold climates – winter doesn’t phase it at all.
Characteristics
Garden Height: 72 – 96 Inches
Plant Needs
Light Requirement: Part Sun to Sun
Maintenance Category: Easy
Hardiness Zones: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a
Maintenance Notes:
This extremely durable, long-lived plant is easy to grow. It likes full sun in cold climates, afternoon shade in warmer ones, but it does require well-drained soils that do not remain soggy for any amount of time.
To prune, simply cut back by one-third its total height every spring. If you wish, you can apply a granular fertilizer formulated for woody plants (like a rose fertilizer) at that time as well.
‘Limelight’ Hydrangea paniculata USPP 12,874, Can 2,319
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Common Name: black chokeberry
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