Black Chokeberry (aronia melanocarpa)

• Multi-season interest: clusters of white spring flowers, glossy green foliage, shiny black berries (late summer/autumn), and vivid red-orange-purple autumn colour.
• Edible berries extremely high in antioxidants (a “superfruit”); astringent raw but excellent cooked in jams, juices, syrups or wines.
• Highly wildlife-friendly (pollinators and birds); very hardy (to –20 °C or lower), low-maintenance, and adaptable to most UK soils and sites.
• Useful for informal hedges, borders, wildlife gardens or rain gardens; reaches 1.5–2.5 m tall with a suckering habit.

Planting advice

• When: November–March while dormant; plant as soon as possible after receipt provided the ground is not frozen or waterlogged.
• Site: Full sun to partial shade (best flowering, fruiting and autumn colour in sun). Prefers moist but well-drained soil; tolerates clay, temporary waterlogging and a range of pH (slightly acidic–neutral ideal); avoid shallow chalk.
• Spacing: 1–1.5 m for hedges or groups; 3–4 m for specimen plants.
• Planting: Dig a hole about twice the width of the root system and deep enough so the nursery soil mark sits level with the surrounding soil. Loosen the base, spread the roots, backfill (incorporate well-rotted organic matter if soil is poor), firm gently to remove air pockets, and water thoroughly. 
• Aftercare: Keep moist during the first growing season; thereafter it is largely drought-tolerant and needs little attention. Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Prune lightly in late winter if shaping is required.

Photo credit: Doug McGrady from Warwick, RI, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)