What a great resource! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Our Aronia melanocarpa “Viking” has grown to an impressive size and is once again producing masses of berries. We recently added a buttonbush, a bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera), a native witch hazel, and an arrowwood viburnum which produced 5 berries recently which were promptly eaten by the birds (or one bird). All are potential favorites!
I was surprised it fruited, because we don’t have a companion for it, and none of neighbors have one, so far as I know. Maybe the pollen was carried from the bird sanctuary several miles away!
Thank you for this! I'm relatively new to native plants (4 years into planting a wildlife garden after many decades of gardening with non-natives) and am starting to make an effort to work more shrubs into my landscape. I have ninebark (I'm in love with this plant!), blueberry, a shrubby native honeysuckle (can't remember the name) viburnum, winterberry, lots of hydrangea. I'm aiming for more late season berry-bearers for the wild neighbors (we have a long winter in western Massachusetts).
I love this!! Black chokeberry has been the real standout in our young garden. It had one berry when we planted in the fall. Now there are about 8 clusters that the House Finches and Robins have started to pick at.
High hopes next year for nannyberry and serviceberry. Neither bloomed this year.
What a great resource! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Our Aronia melanocarpa “Viking” has grown to an impressive size and is once again producing masses of berries. We recently added a buttonbush, a bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera), a native witch hazel, and an arrowwood viburnum which produced 5 berries recently which were promptly eaten by the birds (or one bird). All are potential favorites!
That sounds like a fabulous selection of shrubs, Margaret. I love it that just as soon as you added the viburnum and it fruited, the birds knew it!
I was surprised it fruited, because we don’t have a companion for it, and none of neighbors have one, so far as I know. Maybe the pollen was carried from the bird sanctuary several miles away!
Thank you for this! I'm relatively new to native plants (4 years into planting a wildlife garden after many decades of gardening with non-natives) and am starting to make an effort to work more shrubs into my landscape. I have ninebark (I'm in love with this plant!), blueberry, a shrubby native honeysuckle (can't remember the name) viburnum, winterberry, lots of hydrangea. I'm aiming for more late season berry-bearers for the wild neighbors (we have a long winter in western Massachusetts).
Oh how lovely that sounds, Ginny! Best of luck with your native gardening - keep us posted on how it progresses!
I currently have Oakleaf Hydrangea, Blueberries, and Winterberry. I have aspirations to add Spicebush.
How fun! Thanks for sharing, Kristi. I'll bet you have wildlife visiting across the seasons with that combination!
Excellent information and recommendations! Keep up the good work!
Thank you! 🥰
I love this!! Black chokeberry has been the real standout in our young garden. It had one berry when we planted in the fall. Now there are about 8 clusters that the House Finches and Robins have started to pick at.
High hopes next year for nannyberry and serviceberry. Neither bloomed this year.
That's great to hear.
Keep hope alive for the others. Next year maybe they will LEAP!
Hello Jordan, welcome! Thank you for sharing your link. I will check it out!