Chokecherry (Aronia arbutifolia)
As a result of the warm weather we had earlier this month spring has definitely arrived! The
land has greened up seemingly overnight and the daffodils and several natives are blooming.
land has greened up seemingly overnight and the daffodils and several natives are blooming.
Aronia grows wild in my garden, most commonly by the ditch that runs beside the big bed. It's a tall very slender shrub that a very very bright red leaves late in the fall, scarlet berries in winter that nothing touches, and in spring these sweet clusters of flowers with stamens that range in color from russet to mauve.
Bluets
Blueberry
The star, or anchor of the garden right now are the redbuds.
The beautiful pink purple flowers are a bee magnet. The
flyway to and from the redbuds are a veritable tornado of bees.
flyway to and from the redbuds are a veritable tornado of bees.
I love that chokeberry, which isn't something that grows here (or anywhere close). Your eastern redbud seems much more floriferous than our western version and I'm sorry to say I haven't seen bees gravitate to the latter.
ReplyDeleteA heaven for the bees and a pleasure for the eyes. Thank you, Sweetbay !
ReplyDeleteI loved all three of these beauties. I'm glad to see spring in your area.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy and have a Happy Easter ~ FlowerLady
So beautiful, when I see this wonderful redbud blooming, I wish to see my own in bloom but I have still to wait another month I think.....
ReplyDeleteI admired the second photo of the chokeberry, a great photo!
I don't think there is a more beautiful sight in the spring than blooming redbuds. Wonderful photos, especially with all the bees!
ReplyDeleteHi Sweetbay, gosh, I do love these redbuds! The first photo where the one redbud specimen is standing out in the landscape is just wonderful. I also love all your close-up photos with the bees flying around between the redbud flowers. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThe Chokecherry (Aronia arbutifolia) is a "new-to-me" plant, thanks for acquainting me with it!
Warm regards,
Christina
Marvelous pics of the redbuds and bees!
ReplyDeleteIt's redbud season here in Middle TN too. The variation in bloom time between different cultivars is kind of interesting. Our neighbor's (pink) redbuds have been in bloom for over a week, whereas our (magenta) redbuds are adorned with buds but have not yet burst into bloom.
Usually, I'm impatient for trees to bloom, but since the buds on redbuds are so ornamental, I don't mind to wait. I kind of enjoy it actually!
I don't grow any Amelanchier here, but I've heard it's a fantastic tree. Do you get to eat any of the serviceberries?
I do have Aronia arbutifolia here -- planted it (too close to the house) in the front foundation. It was just a tiny seedling when I added it 3 or 4 years ago. This year it's pushing 6 feet tall and will probably add another 1-2 feet of new growth (I'm guessing). I notice it's also starting to send up suckers. (I've heard it's a bit notorious for suckering.)
Last year, the bright red Aronia berries actually disappeared pretty quickly, so something around here must like them.
(I've tried eating the chokeberries myself and it's certainly obvious to see how they got their name. Wow, those are astringent. Though I've heard the juice is very good for you. Since the berries are pretty dry, I suspect you'd need a lot of them to extract a significant amount of juice...)
Jealous of your blueberries too. I'd like to try growing some, but I've heard you really need acidic soil for them to perform their best. And since our soil is neutral, I'm concerned they wouldn't thrive here...
I adore redbuds! Ours are about finished blooming and beginning to leaf out. The blueberries are the place the bees are visiting now. Love the variety of bees you are seeing!
ReplyDeleteHi Sweetbay, I enjoyed your photos of spring wildflowers. I haven't seen any bees here yet. I am tickled that spring is here!
ReplyDeleteFantastic photos! I love redbuds; ours have just finished blooming, and I am sad to see them go. I am not very familiar with aronia; it sounds like a marvelous native shrub.
ReplyDeleteI love redbud season. I love getting out into the woods when they are in bloom.
ReplyDelete