A very beautiful, small, North American tree that is attractive in all seasons, even in winter when its spreading crown of fine shoots makes a satisfying, dense, shrubby shape.
In March the branches erupt with a froth of star-shaped flowers in lax conical heads, just as the coppery pink young leaves unfold - in summer these are yellowish green, but later turn scarlet and crimson.
In July the tree is studded with dark red berries which become purple-black as they ripen.
The Royal Horticultural Society has given it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
They are not fussy, but they don’t do well on limey soil.
An amelanchier's white blossom and dark foliage make a perfect foil for dark, sultry tulips or a mixture of pink and purple tulips.
These could be planted in November or December.
Choose late-April or May-flowering varieties to coincide with the amelanchier flowers.
The best three amelanchiers
Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Robin Hill'
(6 - 8 m)
A recently introduced cultivar which has clusters of pink buds that open into pale pink flowers in spring.
These flowers then fade to white before falling.
Edible berries follow from June until August.
The young leaves are an attractive bronze colour when they first emerge, darkening to a lush green in late spring and summer.
In the autumn they turning vivid shades or orange/deep-red before falling.
Forms a small garden tree.
Amelanchier lamarckii 'Ballerina'
(4 - 5 m)
A delightful, low maintenance shrub or small tree which is covered with large white flowers in spring.
In spring/summer, the leaves are an attractive, cool green turning shades of bright red/orange /gold in the autumn before falling.
A superb choice for planting as a either a stand-alone specimen or as part of a mixed border.
Amelanchier ovalis 'Edelweiss'
(3 - 4 m)
A slower-growing amelanchier, a native of Central and Southern Europe, has six-inch long panicles of white flowers in late spring.
The leaves are a pink-bronze when young, darkening to cool green in spring and summer before turning to eye-catching shades of orange, red and yellow in a crisp autumn.
Once established, this tree produces small black fruit in mid to late summer which are popular with birds.
A superb ornamental plant which is suitable for gardens of most sizes.
