Amelanchier alnifolia Thiessen

'Amelanchier 'Thiessen' is a variety of serviceberry with alder-like leaves, both productive and ornamental, selected for its early, delicious and abundant fruiting. This fruit bush produces white spring flowering from a young age that is so abundant it almost covers its branches. Then come the leaves with a pretty bluish green colour and finally, in early summer, the clusters of blackish-blue, juicy, sweet and aromatic fruits, both tasty and rich in vitamins. Amelanchiers are easy-to-grow and highly rewarding shrubs or small trees. 'Thiessen' is no exception to the rule; it makes an excellent informal, bocage or country hedge. Its rather narrow habit is perfectly suited to small gardens.                                                               

Native to North America, Amelanchier alnifolia is a robust shrub of the large Rosaceae family, spared by most parasites and resistant to extreme cold. In nature it can be found along watercourses as well as in much less favorable environments, such as wind-exposed rocky slopes. It is a plant that prefers rather acidic and moist soil, but it is adaptable and can withstand relatively dry and hot summers once established. This A. alnifolia species is one of the few in the genus that can tolerate reasonably calcareous soils. To obtain a good harvest, it is advisable to provide it with fairly fertile soil and water if necessary.

The cultivar 'Thiessen', discovered in the wild, was selected for its productivity, fruit quality and abundant flowering. It has a bushy, upright and rather narrow habit, with branches concentrated around the main branches. It has a rather slow growth and reaches about 5m (16 ft) in height and 2m (7 ft) in width when mature. Flowering is remarkably abundant in April-May, at the tips of young branches that will be bare or already adorned with very young leaves, depending on the climate. Flowering and fruiting are rapid in this amelanchier. The 5-petaled white flowers with yellow stamens, 2cm (0.8 in) in diameter, are gathered in clusters along the branches. They are followed by edible fruits the size of a blueberry, globose, called pyridions. They are initially deep blue and then turn black when ripe, in June. Their pleasantly sweet and aromatic flavour and juicy pulp make them suitable for eating fresh or cooked, in jam or jelly.

The young spring leaves are very downy, becoming tougher later on. They have a pretty bluish-green colour and turn yellow in autumn before falling. Measuring up to 5cm (2 in) in length, they are oval-shaped, toothed at the edges, and arranged alternately on the branches. This 'Thiessen' variety resists powdery mildew well. A single plant is sufficient to obtain a harvest of up to 7-8kg of fruits: enough to make numerous jars of nutritious jam for the winter.

Amelanchier 'Thiessen' is a robust fruit bush that is as undemanding as it is charming, with a small footprint, and deserves a place in an informal, rustic or fruiting hedge. It is also used as a backdrop for perennial flower beds. It pairs perfectly with ornamental apple and cherry trees, deciduous euonymus, Japanese quince, spring spireas, hawthorns, loquat, plum trees, and many others. Create a fruit hedge by combining it, for example, with the honeyberry (Lonicera kamtschatica Sweet Myberry), garden blackberries, currants, gooseberries, cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon), blueberries, raspberries, Aronia, Japanese silverberry, black elderberry, and more.