Knowledgebase
Serviceberry rust and planting #879703
Asked August 01, 2024, 10:11 AM EDT
Hello,
I have an open spot in my yard that gets partial intense sun (approximately ~9:30-12:30 in the summer) but is then shaded for the rest of the day.
I've been looking to plant a smaller sized native tree (and then fill the rest in with shrubs and flowers), and I love getting fruit as a bonus, plus serviceberries seem pretty hardy so they all around seem like a great choice -- except every single serviceberry in my neighborhood this year has rust to the point where I didn't find a single edible berry. Many had it in 2023, but this summer it's literally every single one.
There's at least two within a two block radius, including 1 two doors down - in case proximity matters.
Would planting a tree, especially this year, be a bad idea?
Thanks!
Cass
District of Columbia County District of Columbia
Expert Response
Hi Cass,
Serviceberries were recommended on all of the numerous university sites I checked as an easy to grow native fruit tree. And Serviceberries were planted for many years. However, gardeners report cedar-apple rusts frequently, many looking for resistant varieties. Even Autumn Brilliance, a variety developed for superior fruiting, disease resistance and ornamental qualities, reportedly can be affected.
As an example, my own serviceberries produced for many years, to the delight of neighborhood songbirds, but have been affected by rust for three of the last four years. Not scientific, just an observation.
Here is a fact sheet from Cornell, but it only lists resistance apple varieties. https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/ipm444/lec-notes/extra/pest-mgmt-cedar-apple-rust.pdf
Is cedar-apple rust increasing because of more available Serviceberries? Or longer warmer & humid periods in spring and summer? Will continue to research & will get back to you if successful in finding relevant studies.
Meanwhile, planting trees in the fall rather than in the summer is likely to be much less stressful for the tree. And it does seem very likely that a Serviceberry would be exposed to rust.
Here are some small to medium native trees with some resistance to cedar-apple rust, in order of their mature size, to consider:
- Winterberry Holly, Ilex verticillata, 8-10’, deciduous, dioecious (plants are male or female), nice bark & produces an abundance of bright red berries, quite the show-stopper.
- Elderberry, Sambucus canadensis ‘Adams’ (need 2 to tango) 10-15’ high. Lovely blooms, ‘Adams’ cultivar produces more abundant fruit than species.
- Black Haw Viburnum, Viburnum prunifolium, 10-15’ high, can be pruned to tree form (takes 2 to tango). Lovely blooms & abundant berries.
- Nannyberry, Viburnum lentago, 15-20’ high, shrubby - can be pruned to tree form. (takes 2 to tango) Flowers flowered by small berries.
- Washington Hawthorne, Crataegus phaenopyrum, 25-30’, (hermaphroditic flowers) flowers followed by small fruit favored by birds. Very thorny, so often limbed up as it grows, but a good nesting tree. Although in the rose/apple family like Serviceberries, it shows good resistance to cedar-apple rusts.
- Green Hawthorne, Crataegus viridis, 20-35’, (hermaphroditic flowers), Washington’s larger and more disease resistant relative, also has showy, fragrant flowers followed by small fruit. ‘Winter King’ cultivar has much smaller thorns than the species.
Thanks for sending in your question. Keep us posted!
Kate McLynn
DC Master Gardener
