The Canadian material DOES have excellent fruit, but the plants have growth characteristics that can be annoying. One is that they bloom very early. I had Canadian and local selections of A. alnifolia and the Canadian stuff would be in full bloom when the local was still in full dormancy. Second, the Canadian stuff has a "burst" growth habit. It puts on a fast flush of growth, then stops and hardens, often by the first of July here. Nothing you do will make them grow any more, even if you want them to, while the local stuff grows more steadily, well into mid to late summer. As one result, they make such short bushes the deer can keep them nipped down. A taller bush would escape that problem. Finally, the Canadian plants will get 75% rust when the local stuff has less than 5%. That's one of the reasons we badly need more selections of Amelanchier, to get plant types more adapted to different conditions.
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.