Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Other Names:  Black Chokeberry

Description:

A compact shrub with glossy dark green leaves, showy white flowers, glossy black berries, and red and purple fall colors; a great choice for massing or grouping, deserving of much greater use in the landscape

Ornamental Features

Autumn Magic Chokeberry features showy panicles of white flowers with brick red anthers at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It features an abundance of magnificent black berries from late summer to late winter. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The glossy oval leaves turn an outstanding dark red in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Autumn Magic Chokeberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering

Autumn Magic Chokeberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Autumn Magic Chokeberry will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is an amazingly adaptable plant, tolerating both dry conditions and even some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.