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Serviceberries (Juneberries): How to Plant, Grow, and Care

branch of Amelanchier lamarckii with white flowers

Alder-leaved serviceberry in spring bloom, a native shrub with edible summer berries.

Photo Credit
AL-Travelpicture/Getty Images
Botanical Name
Amelanchier spp.
Plant Type
Shrubs and Bushes
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Flower Color
White
Pink
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Special Features
Attracts Songbirds
Attracts Pollinators

Native tree with spring blooms, edible berries, and fall color

Written By: Lauren Landers Master Gardener and Contributing Writer

Serviceberries announce spring with airy white blossoms, then follow with sweet summer berries and brilliant fall color. These native shrubs and small trees offer beauty in every season. They also support pollinators and feed birds—without demanding much in return. Here’s how to plant, grow, and care for serviceberries in your own landscape.

About Serviceberry Plants

Found throughout North America, serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.) are deciduous flowering trees and shrubs grown for their early spring blooms, edible summer berries, and vibrant fall foliage. This native plant flowers earlier than most plants and provides critical nectar for spring pollinators when other food sources are scarce. They’re also simply beautiful—and their sweet, blueberry-like fruit can be used in cobblers, pies, jams, and other treats—much like blueberries.

Many plants are swathed in folklore, but serviceberry lore is a little macabre. These plants are said to have earned their name because their early spring flowers appeared just as the ground thawed—when funeral services could finally be held after long winters. You may also see them labeled as shadbush or shadblow, since they bloom around the same time shad fish start to run and spawn in spring.

There are about 25 recognized species of serviceberries, most native to North America, with a few found in Europe and Asia. Grown as large shrubs or small trees, serviceberries provide four seasons of interest—from starry white spring flowers and dark summer berries to fiery autumn foliage and smooth, silver-gray bark in winter.

Most serviceberry trees and shrubs grow between 6 and 25 feet tall, depending on species. They’re typically hardy in USDA Zones 2-9. Growth is moderate to fast (about 1 to 2 feet per year), and well-maintained plants can live 30 to 60 years.

Cedar waxwing eating serviceberry,
Cedar waxwing eating ripe serviceberries, a favorite summer food for songbirds. Credit: Danita Delimont

Beyond their ornamental value, serviceberries are important wildlife plants and rank above the best shrubs and trees for birds. They feed pollinators, serve as host plants for certain moths and butterflies, and provide berries relished by songbirds.

A fine choice for borders, specimen plantings, naturalized areas, and wildlife gardens, serviceberries tolerate a range of soils and light levels. They belong to the Rosaceae family and are related to apples and pears—so it’s no surprise their flowers and fruit are both attractive and abundant.

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Planting

Serviceberries grow quickly but may take a few years to flower. Because seeds don’t grow true to type, it’s best to start serviceberry plants from potted or bare-root stock purchased from reputable nurseries.

When to Plant Serviceberry

Potted serviceberry trees and shrubs can be planted in spring or fall. Bare-root plants establish best when planted in early spring while dormant.

How to Plant Serviceberry

  • Find a good growing location: Serviceberries prefer full sun to part shade locations with well-draining, rich soil. If you want to grow these plants in clay, amend the planting spot with compost first to improve drainage!
  • Dig a hole: Excavate a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Blend compost or aged manure into the backfill soil. Don’t grow serviceberries in alkaline gardens, as this can cause their leaves to discolor and become chlorotic.
  • Plant the shrub: Loosen circling roots on potted plants. Soak bare-root plants in water for a few hours before planting. Set serviceberries at the same depth they grew in the nursery. On bare-root plants, the area where the roots and stem meet on bare-root serviceberry plants should be at or slightly above the soil line.
  • Water and mulch: Firm the soil, water deeply, and apply mulch to retain moisture. Space multiple serviceberries 12 to 24 feet apart, depending on mature size.

Growing

In the wild, serviceberries often grow as understory trees in dappled light. They tolerate a range of soil types but require good drainage—poorly draining soil can quickly lead to decline. Do your best to mimic their natural growing environment and blend compost into your soil if your garden is dense with clay. 

Depending on your gardening style, serviceberries can be left as natural multi-stemmed shrubs or pruned to a single leader for a more tree-like form. Either way, make sure these plants have plenty of space as overcrowding can increase the risk of fungal problems.

Serviceberries blooming white flowers
Blooming Amelanchier lamarckii. After flowering, the star-shaped blossoms give way to small, berry-like pome fruits. Credit: 49pauly

I like pairing serviceberries with other acid-loving, shade-tolerant plants that like acidic soil, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, and blueberries. Coral bells and foamflowers also thrive beneath their light canopy, creating layered plantings that feel intentional and lush.

Some species tolerate wetter soils better than others, so research the best serviceberry species for your conditions. For container growing, choose a dwarf variety and use a 5- to 10-gallon pot with drainage holes.

Water
Established serviceberries are relatively drought-tolerant and only need watering during extended periods of heat or dry weather. During the first year, however, new plantings should be watered about once or twice per week. Watering serviceberries at the base and keeping the leaves dry are among the best ways to avoid fungal diseases.

Serviceberries grown in containers dry out much faster than garden plants, so they should be watered when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feels dry.
Light
Full sun to part shade conditions are appropriate for serviceberries as long as these plants receive a minimum of 4 hours of direct light per day. Serviceberries flower and fruit more abundantly in full sun.
Humidity
Serviceberries are intolerant of extended periods of high humidity, which increases the risk of fungal diseases.
Temperature
Serviceberries are highly cold-tolerant and can handle temperatures down to -40°F. They don’t like extreme heat though, and should never be planted in hot summer weather!
Fertilizer
Adding compost around the base of serviceberries in spring or fall is all these plants need to grow and flower well. That said, you can also feed these plants when their buds begin to break in spring with a general, all-purpose organic fertilizer if your soil is very poor.
Toxicity
Serviceberries are edible for humans, but they’re toxic to livestock and pets.

Types

When you go to a local nursery, you should be able to find serviceberries native to your area. But also consider any special garden uses, such as varieties better suited to container growing. 

‘Canadian Serviceberry’ (Amelanchier canadensis)
Also called shadblow serviceberry, this Eastern North American native grows 15 to 20 feet tall and produces abundant white spring flowers.

‘Saskatoon Serviceberry’ (Amelanchier alnifolia)
Native to western regions, this species grows up to 15 feet tall and is prized for its especially flavorful berries. It is also sometimes called the alder-leaved serviceberry due to the shape of its leaves.

‘Allegheny Serviceberry’ (Amelanchier laevis)
One of the taller species, reaching up to 40 feet in ideal conditions. Hardy in Zones 4 to 8.

Dwarf Serviceberries: Cultivars like ‘Regent’ stay relatively small and are the best choice if you want to keep serviceberries in containers.

Harvesting

Serviceberries can be harvested by hand from late June to July, when about 2/3 of the berries have ripened into a blueish-black color. The berries will continue to sweeten on the plant, and overly ripe berries are difficult to pick.

After harvesting, use the berries fresh, dried like raisins, or baked into desserts. Serviceberries are just one of the best berries to grow in your garden. Some consider serviceberries cloyingly sweet and choose to balance the sweetness with a squeeze of lemon. 

If you can’t use the berries right away, store them in your fridge to keep them fresh!

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Pests/Diseases

Serviceberries are closely related to many fruit trees and are vulnerable to some of the same pests and diseases as a result. Some problems you may encounter when growing these plants include:

  • Pests like spider mites, aphids, Japanese beetles, borers, leafminers, scale insects, and sawflies will sometimes trouble serviceberries – especially during hot weather. You can manage these pests by treating small pests with organic soap sprays and hand-picking larger ones into a bucket of soapy water.
     
  • Rabbits and deer also sometimes forage on serviceberry shrubs, but can be repelled with garlic or capsaicin-based sprays or humanely-sourced predator urine.
     
  • Plant diseases like rust, leaf spot, and fire blight can also harm serviceberries and cause branches to droop, render berries inedible, and even ire blight,cause these plants to die back. The best way to prevent these issues is to perform a good garden cleanup in the fall, destroy infected plant material with burning, follow recommended spacing guidelines, and water serviceberries at the soil line. 

Propagation

Branches of Amelanchier lamarckii covered in red, orange, and yellow fall leaves.
Autumn foliage of Amelanchier lamarckii (shadbush), glowing in shades of red, orange, and gold. Credit: Iva Vagnerova

There are two main ways to propagate serviceberries: through suckers or softwood cuttings. Growing these plants from seed is not recommended.

  • Propagating serviceberries from suckers: Use a shovel or garden shears to remove rooted suckers from serviceberry plants in spring before the plant’s buds break. Remove the top of the sucker so the remaining stem is about 2 to 4 inches long, then transplant the sucker into garden soil or a pot and water regularly to help it establish.
     
  • Propagating serviceberries from cuttings: Use sharp, sterilized pruners to take 4-inch-long softwood stem cuttings from healthy serviceberry plants in late spring. The cuttings should be flexible and produce new growth during the most recent growing season. Remove the lower leaves on the cutting, but keep the top leaves in place. Dip the cut stem base in rooting hormone, plant it in a 4-inch pot filled with potting mix, keep the cutting in bright, indirect light, water regularly, and allow it to root and grow for a few months in its pot before transplanting it into your garden.

Seasonal Care
Serviceberries in the garden don’t need winterizing, but plants grown in pots do. You can either move potted plants into an unheated garage for the winter and water them sparingly, or you can sink the plant pots into the soil of your garden and dig them back up in spring. This should keep the pots from breaking and also provide insulation to the plant's roots!

During the growing season, you can expect serviceberries to produce fragrant clusters of white flowers between March and June, but their blooms only last about a week. After flowering, these plants yield edible berries that can be harvested and used fresh, dried, or cooked.

When well-maintained, serviceberries grow quickly and benefit from regular pruning; however, they can be left as-is if you’re growing serviceberries for garden privacy.

To minimize sap loss, prune serviceberries when they’re dormant from late fall to early spring and only prune dead, diseased, and damaged branches during the first 3 years of your plant’s life. As the plants mature, you can prune them more aggressively to manage their size, increase fruit set, and open up the plant’s canopy. It’s also safe to trim serviceberry suckers at any time of the year, but take care not to overprune these plants as it can remove their flower buds and reduce blooming and fruiting.

Wit and Wisdom

  • Serviceberries were used by Indigenous communities to make pemmican – a long-lasting winter staple food that combined dried meat with rendered fat and dried berries. Early settlers also relied on serviceberries as an important food source.
  • Traditionally, the wood from serviceberry plants was used to form tool handles, fishing rods, and arrow shafts.
  • These plants have a number of creative names including shadbush, shadblow, juneberry, sugarplum, prairie berries, wild pear, wild plum, and Chuckley pear!
  • Among their many perks, serviceberries are host plants for various Lepidoptera species, including the white admiral, the grey dagger, the winter moth, and the brimstone moth.

Shrubs and Trees
About The Author
Lauren Landers

Lauren Landers

Master Gardener and Contributing Writer

Lauren is a gardener, writer, and public speaker with over a decade of experience helping others learn about gardening, homesteading, and sustainable living.She combines years of practical gardening a...
Read More from Lauren Landers

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