Overview
Uses: Mass plantings, low hedges, borders, foundation plantings, and pollinator gardens.
Benefits: A low, compact black chokeberry bred for an especially heavy show of white spring flowers. Glossy black berries follow, and the foliage turns red to orange in fall.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–8
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Mounding, Rounded — low, tidy shrub.
Bloom Color: White
Foliage Color: Green, turning Red and Orange in fall
Mature Height: 2–3 feet
Mature Width: 2–3 feet
Bloom Season: Spring
Growth Rate: Moderate
Summary
A low black chokeberry that blooms like a much bigger shrub.
Black chokeberry is a native shrub of eastern North America, known for white spring flowers, dark fruit, and dependable fall color. Low Scape Snowfire® packs those traits into a compact, rounded plant about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, and it was bred for a heavier flower display than typical chokeberries.
In spring, clusters of white flowers cover the branches as the leaves are filling in. Glossy black berries follow and ripen by late summer. In fall the foliage turns red and orange, setting off the dark fruit.
Its size makes it easy to use where taller chokeberries would not fit: along the front of a border, as a low hedge, under windows, or massed on a bank. It adapts to a wide range of soils, including clay and ground that stays damp after rain.
Care
Low Scape Snowfire® Black Chokeberry Care
Plant in full sun to partial shade. Full sun brings the heaviest bloom and the best fall color; in partial shade the plant still flowers well, with somewhat softer autumn tones.
Black chokeberry is adaptable about soil. It grows in moist clay, sandy loam, and ordinary garden beds, and tolerates spots that stay wet for a while after rain. Slightly acidic soil is ideal, though not required.
Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season while roots establish. Established plants handle short dry spells and periods of wet soil, and look their best with consistent moisture. A two-to-three-inch layer of mulch keeps the root zone even.
Feeding needs are light. One application of a slow release fertilizer in early spring is plenty, and plants in reasonable soil often need none.
Flowers form on the previous year's growth, so do any shaping right after bloom. The compact habit rarely needs it. Removing an occasional old stem at the base in late winter keeps the plant dense and vigorous.
Size
What Size is the Low Scape Snowfire® Black Chokeberry for Sale Online?
Our Low Scape Snowfire® Black Chokeberry ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. Plants ship dormant or near dormant in the off-season, so they may arrive with few or no leaves. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Low Scape Snowfire® Black Chokeberry Grow?
Expect about 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide at maturity, in a low, rounded mound. Space plants about 2 to 3 feet apart for a low hedge or mass planting.
Additional Information
What is the botanical name of Low Scape Snowfire® Black Chokeberry?
The botanical name is Aronia melanocarpa Low Scape Snowfire®. It is a Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrub selected for heavy bloom and a compact habit.
What are some common names for this plant?
It is most often called black chokeberry, and is also widely known as aronia.
Is Low Scape Snowfire® Black Chokeberry a native plant?
It is a selection of Aronia melanocarpa, which is native to eastern North America, from eastern Canada south through the Appalachians. Selections like this one are often called nativars: they keep the flowers, fruit, and wildlife value of the native species in a more compact form. Browse more Native Plants of North America.
Are the berries edible?
Yes. Black chokeberries are the same fruit sold as aronia berries, but they are very tart and astringent eaten fresh, so most people use them cooked in jams, syrups, and baking. Birds take them too, usually in late fall and winter.
How does it compare with Low Scape Mound®?
Low Scape Mound® stays lower, around 1 to 2 feet, and is used more like a groundcover. Low Scape Snowfire® is the taller of the two at 2 to 3 feet and was selected for a heavier spring bloom, which makes it the better choice for a low hedge or the front of a border. For more options in this size range, see our Shrubs & Bushes.
