Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] Serviceberries/saskatoons--how to search the list archives?

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer@gmail.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Serviceberries/saskatoons--how to search the list archives?
  • Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2011 22:10:20 -0500

Anyone know a way to search this list archives, by entering a single
search term and searching one or multiple years at a time?

I've written of my serviceberry experience at length before, but
unfortunately did not save it.
Lucky, you have a copy of some of these exchanges?

Here's a summary:
For NE TN and SW VA, the best serviceberry one can buy, IMHO is A.
canadensis, from Lawyer's Nursery. A local landscaper plants these
around town, and I have, too on a more limited scale, and the fruit is
excellent, high yielding and very reliable, including after the great
easter freeze of '07.

Sources of other serviceberries that have done well for us:
Hidden Springs Nursery and Edible Landscaping.
We like A. obavalis 'Jennybelle'
Also 'Regent', from Oikos.

Am seeing more and more serviceberries planted in public areas, so
explore these. Wonderful fruit found at several sites this year, and
one had a lot of seedlings underneath. Ken Asmus at Oikos said his
'Regent' seedlings come very true.

Variety trials:
Observed one several years back at the WNCREC, in Fletcher, NC, near
the Asheville Airport. Great to see so much variety in plant form,
flowering habit and fruit. Unfortunately have not been there to taste
them, but someone at the station may have evaluated them. Worth
following up if your region is similar to the southern Appalachian
Highlands, with warm, humid summers and Zone 6 winters.

Wild populations: Grayson Highlands State Park, near Mt. Rogers
wilderness in SW VA has Amelanchier trees. These are the size and
shape of full-sized, seedling apple trees, some 24+" DBH trunks, trees
you can climb in and share fruit with the coons. Some of these
monsters are on or near the Appalachian Trail, at 5000 feet. Would
love to know how old they are. Most serviceberry plants in this
wilderness are smaller, even bushes, but all the fruit is good.

I have tasted a couple of the mealy, bland ones, in landscaping sites.
Have rarely found insipid wild ones, and then at lower elevations and
removed from Mt. Rogers Wilderness.

So in summary, there are cultivars that work very well in my neck of
the woods, there is (or has been) a variety trial nearby, and there
are great tasting wild ones, and sources for ordering above.

Search the archives for discussions on rust in Amelanchier.

Richard Moyer
SW VA
Where our winter fruit includes cobblers, such as serviceberry with
its almond aroma and flavor.




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page