Trees - Serviceberry
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  (September) I have converted the lot I own next to my house into a wildlife habitat and it is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. I have left it "wild" -- it is not a garden. My wife and I are "birders" and I wanted to plant Service Berry or some such wildlife berry for the birds but the price for the plants I have found is too high ($35 per plant). Could I plant the berries from the existing service berry trees that are here and expect them to survive? If so, do you have any suggestions on how to do this? Wait till the berries are dry on the tree, how deep to plant etc. etc. Or, do you have any literature that would help me in this project? Or perhaps you know of a source for young plants that would not be so expensive?

  You can grow most plants from seed -- however I tend to be too impatient. Mary Ann King from Pine Ridge Gardens in London, Arkansas grows almost all of her plants from seed, including trees (I do not know her price for these, but you should check). The seeds should be harvested when ripe, but before the birds clean them off. Normally the fruit goes from green to red to purplish black when ripe. The seeds should be cleaned of the pulp (which is edible) and then the seeds need a cool, moist storage period, called stratification. They can be stored in a plastic bag filled with moist peat moss or potting soil for three to four months, before beginning the germination process. This can happen naturally outdoors in the ground, but to be sure of where they are, you can also do it indoors.

  I have a small tree with relatively small leaves with serrated edges. It produced white clusters of small flowers, which are already gone. Do you have any idea what this mystery plant is? I have enclosed a sample.

  The tree in question is a Serviceberry tree, Amelanchier arborea. It is one of the first trees to bloom in Arkansas forests. It is a native tree which can grow to be fifty feet, but it is typically smaller, usually wider than tall. It is a nice ornamental tree, with good flower production and small edible fruits which ripen in June.

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