Some varieties of serviceberry can grow to a considerable size in a well-suited location. But there are also smaller varieties that are suitable for planting in a container or in a smaller garden.
What small varieties of rock pear are there?
Small varieties of serviceberry are ideal for small gardens or container cultivation. These include the common rock pear (Amelanchier ovalis), spiked rock pear (Amelanchier spicata), dwarf rock pear Helvetica (Amelanchier rotundifolia Helvetica), columnar rock pear obelisk (Amelanchier alnifolia Obelisk) and bluemoon rock pear (Amelanchier bluemoon).
Why variety selection is so important
With some plants in the garden, it is easy to limit the natural growth potential through regular pruning and thus permanently maintain a certain desired size of the plants with consistent care. With a serviceberry, however, things are different, as these plants react somewhat sensitively to excessive pruning and pruning errors do not “grow out” over the years. It can therefore be more than frustrating to try to limit vigorous varieties such as the copper rock pear (Amelanchier lamarckii) to a compact size. Shapely growth of rock pears is therefore more likely to be achieved with the right selection of varieties and with shape cuts that start as early as possible.
Select small varieties
Among the numerous varieties of serviceberry, there are some varieties that only reach a relatively compact height, even when old:
- The common rock pear (Amelanchier ovalis): reaches a height of around 1 to 3 m, rarely even 4 m high
- The spiked serviceberry (Amelanchier spicata): usually reaches 0.5 to 2 m in height
- The dwarf rock pear Helvetica (Amelanchier rotundifolia Helvetica): reaches about 1 to 2 m high
- The columnar rock pear obelisk (Amelanchier alnifolia obelisk): slender obelisk shape with a maximum height of around 3 to 5 m
- The Bluemoon serviceberry (Amelanchier Bluemoon): grows to a maximum height of 2.5 m
Advantages of small varieties of serviceberry
Compact-growing varieties of serviceberry are the right choice not only for smaller gardens or for cultivation in containers. Due to their weaker growth, they also require less work when it comes to care measures such as pruning. In addition, the edible fruits can be harvested without ladders or contortions.
Tip
Small-yielding varieties of serviceberry, such as Amelanchier Bluemoon, are also easier to cover with nets due to their compact size, which protect the crop from overly greedy birds.