'Viking' Black Chokeberry 

Aronia melanocarpa

It's no secret chokeberry is a staff favorite here at Painters--we carry five different kinds! It's native, ornamental, edible, and birds and pollinators love it! 

Since this week's special is on edibles we'd like to highlight a native edible shrub that was specifically developed for the orchard. In the early 20th century, our native chokeberry was introduced to eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia for berry production. Russia bred the 'Viking' variety by selecting for the largest berries on black chokeberry and that variety is still in cultivation there on thousands of acres for berry production. 'Viking' was re-introduced to the US a couple decades ago and has become a crop also grown on orchards seeking a harvest of Aronia berries.     

Black chokeberry is an upright, multi-stemmed shrub that thrives in a variety of soil conditions, including boggy. Even though the shrub is deciduous, it can still be used as an effective privacy hedge due to the dense, suckering habit. Other applications include rain gardens, orchards, pollinator gardens, bird friendly habitats, etc. The deep purple fruit ripens in fall and is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. As the common name suggests, the fruit is astringent and a little too tart to eat fresh, but it is perfect for jams, pies, and juices.

This shrub is self-fertile and does not need to be planted with another of its kind to produce fruit and should produce berries for you within 3 years of age. To top it all off, the fall color is a fiery mix of scarlet and deep orange!

NAME: 

Aronia is in the Rose family (as many of our tree fruits are).  Melano-  means "black" and -carpa means "fruit"

NATIVE RANGE:

eastern North America from Newfoundland south to Alabama

FUN FACTS:

Aronia berries are rich in fiber, vitamin C, and powerful antioxidants that may have heart-healthy, immune-boosting, and anticancer properties.  

GROWING CONDITIONS

• SUNLIGHT: Full sun is best, especially for maximum flower and ultimately fruit production

• SOIL: Average soil to moist/wet

• SIZE: 4-6 feet tall and wide

• ZONES: 3-9

'Heritage' Raspberry 

Rubus idaeus var. strigosus

‘Heritage’ Raspberry is one of the most popular varieties grown worldwide. This ever-bearing raspberry produces one crop in summer and another heavier crop in fall of extra-sweet, juicy berries. Only one plant is needed, as the flowers are self-fruitful. This variety reliably produces fruit and will reward you within the first year of planting. Timely pruning is necessary to keep the plant healthy and the form open enough to allow sun and airflow on developing fruit. With proper maintenance it should live 8-10 years. ‘Heritage’ is self-supporting and does not need a trellis, the canes are upright and strong enough to support themselves.  

Note: do not plant red, gold or purple raspberries within 75-100 feet of black raspberries.  Black raspberries are more susceptible to a viral disease carried by aphids to and from nearby raspberry plants. 

NAME:

The latin words Rubus idaeus means “bramble bush of Mount Ida” an important landmark in ancient Greek mythology and the highest mountain on the island of Crete where raspberries grew in abundance.

NATIVE RANGE:

Grows throughout most of the temperate regions of the world including most of North America from Alaska through Canada and south to North Carolina and Arizona.

FUN FACTS:  

Raspberry roots are perennials but the leaf and fruit-bearing canes are biennial and only live two growing seasons before dying.  ‘Heritage’ is considered a fall-bearing or ever-bearing variety and can produce fruit two times a year, once in summer on second-year canes and again in fall on the tips of that year’s primo-canes.  To understand more on pruning and harvest times of ‘Heritage’ raspberries: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/faq/what-proper-way-prune-fall-bearing-red-raspberries-late-winterearly-spring

GROWING CONDITIONS

• SUNLIGHT: Full sun

• SOIL: Needs well-drained soil

• SIZE: 4-5’ tall and 2-3’ wide

• ZONES: 4-8