You may not have heard of aronia, but these are tough and reliable deciduous shrubs, many of which feature lovely flowers, fruits and autumn leaf colour. And they never grow too large so are ideal for small spaces. ‘Autumn Magic’ is especially worth growing.
In spring, clusters of creamy white flowers, similar to hawthorn blossom, open from blushed buds amongst neat, pointed, rich green leaves. The flower clusters are followed by pendulous bunches of purplish-black berries, which the birds tend to leave alone until early winter. These berries, bursting with antioxidants, are sometimes juiced or used to make wine and jam, but are very tart unless cooked – hence their common name, chokeberry. In autumn the foliage develops a rich reddish-purple colouring that later becomes more fiery.
Aronias are amongst…
