North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

I tried several of the Canadian selected seviceberry varieties including
Smokey (the only name I remember now).  I never harvested any fruit from
them, although plum curculio did, and they grew poorly in my Z6 in spite of
the fact that amelanchier Canadensis is a native and many types of
"shadblow" do well here.  The last of my Canadian varieties died last season
of fire blight.  I have Canadensis growing with great vigor within a stones
throw of where I planted the Canadians.

I've harvested fruit from trees I planted for a client years ago that had a
name that signified it's brilliant fall color- can't remember what it was
but I believe it was a selected variety of Canadensis.  The fruit was
plentiful and tasty enough with a distinctive almond taste.  To me, better
for forage than taking home.  The birds adore them but the fruit all ripens
within a few days so if a tree's not too tall you get access to some at
least at some sites.

I was able to get large (1.5" caliber and well branched 7' trees) from a mid
western nursery for a very good price as bare roots and they plugged in
quickly.  They're tough trees sometimes planted in shopping malls because
they are that way and don't need much pruning.  All and all they're very
attractive.