black chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size3 to 6 feet tall3 to 6 feet wide
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Gold/yellow, green
- Fall color
- Yes
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) is a shrub for borders, hedges, rain gardens, and food gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet soil of most types. Deer rarely make it their first choice. White spring flowers give way to blackish-purple fruit, and the leaves turn crimson-red in fall. It suckers profusely, so give it room.
Pairs well with Hummingbird sweet pepperbush, New England aster, and Switchgrass.
Native range
Eastern North America.