Viking black chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking'
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Sizeup to 6 feet tall
- Habit
- Erect
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- White
- Fall color
- Yes
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Viking' black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking') is a shrub for food gardens, rain gardens, hedges, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Fragrant white flowers open in spring and attract bees and butterflies. The dark berries are grown for cooking, and their high pectin helps jams and jellies set. The leaves turn orange-red in fall, and the shrub spreads by suckers.
Pairs well with Wild bergamot, Royal fern, Indian grass, and Swamp white oak.