Black chokeberry
A native fruit shrub
IF YOU ARE LOOKING to add more native shrubs into your landscape, consider planting Aronia menalocarpa, also known as black chokeberry. This modestly sized deciduous shrub grows only 4 to 6 feet tall and wide, and is suitable for planting even in a small space.
Native to wet, sunny areas, chokeberry can tolerate even boggy soils but will perform best in a moist but well- drained site. Showy white flowers emerge in late spring, covering the plant. It produces edible fruit, about the size of blueberries. They are tart and bitter, but can be made into jams or jellies—if you can get them before the birds do.
Chokeberry’s beautiful glossy green leaves turn a spectacular purple to red in the fall. This shrub is upright to rounded and typically does not require pruning. It is a very low-maintenance addition to the landscape.
If you want an even smaller version, try Iroquois Beauty, which grows only 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. Otherwise, its characteristics are the same as the parent plant. If you prefer red fruit and fall color, consider red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia. It is a larger option that grows 6 to 10 feet tall. It blooms white to light pink and its fruit turns a beautiful red.
