Melinda Myers

Common Chokecherry

Botanical Name

Prunus virginiana

Hardiness

Zones 2 to 7

Height

Up to 30 feet

Width

18 to 25 feet

Flowers

2-to-5-inch-long clusters of white fragrant blooms in April or May

Fruit

Red to dark purple drupe, astringent

Light

Full sun (best flowers) to light shade

Soil

Moist to well-drained

Planting & Care

• For a quicker establishment start with a balled and burlap tree
• Prune out suckers as they appear

Problems

Subject to many insect and disease problems including borers, tent caterpillars, Japanese beetles, aphids, leaf spot, black knot, leaf curl, root rot, fireblight, and shot hole fungus

Varieties

• Goertz - features palatable, not sour, fruit
• Schubert's (Canada Red) - leaves open green and turn purple for the remainder of the season. I find it has fewer pests and can be longer lived in the landscape
• Boughen's Yellow - yellow fruit