chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size6 to 10 feet tall3 to 6 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom season
- Spring, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White to light pink
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fall color
- Yes
- Soil types
- Loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) is a shrub for borders, rain gardens, hedges, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to wet, loamy or clay soil. Deer rarely make it their first choice. White spring flowers give way to bright red fruit that stays into winter, and the leaves turn orange-red in fall. It forms sizable colonies, so give it room.
Pairs well with Inkberry, Big bluestem, and Ostrich fern.
Native range
Eastern North America.