Chokeberry is quite popular among designers and is often used to create landscape compositions in garden plots. In addition to beauty, this shrub also has useful properties, and using it as a hedge makes it possible to protect the garden from prying attention, make the air much cleaner and create an attractive green fence. From this article you will learn about the rules of caring for chokeberry, the principles of watering and reproduction, as well as how to create a beautiful composition with other plants.

Botanical Description and Characteristics

As early as 1935, Aronia was attributed to the Aronia family, which is much different from our usual one. Aronia is known not only for its unusual fruits, but also for its origin. Thanks to the work of breeder Michurin, in which two species of this plant were crossed by scientists, aronia appeared. So, she received a characteristic second name in honor of her creator.

Important! The fruits of Chokeberry are rich in iodine, which enters the berries from the soil. However, the amount of this trace element depends on the region of growth.

Aronia mitschurinii is a shrub that reaches a height of about 3 m. Despite the size of the deciduous bush, its roots are not deeply buried and have many small branches. Over the years, the crown of a plant can increase in diameter to 3 m. Not only the fruits, but also the leaves are beautiful in the chokeberry. In the fall, they take on an unusual color: from purple to red and orange. During the flowering period, the windows of apartments and houses can be kept open throughout the day, as the flowers emit a pleasant fragrant aroma.

When the plant begins to bear fruit, then umbrellas with large black berries appear on the bright foliage. Their size is like a pea, they are large and juicy. Unripe fruits can be distinguished by color - they will be red. Already ripened chokeberries can be eaten: they taste sweet, but slightly tart.

Landscape design application

Due to its attractive appearance, chokeberry is very often used as decoration of garden plots and to create attractive compositions of landscape design. This plant retains its beauty from early spring to late autumn. From the very beginning of the warm pore, this bush is covered with large white flowering, which becomes a bright contrast against the background of green leaves.

The spectacular appearance is preserved due to the combination of black berries and orange-red leaves of chokeberry. You can plant this plant both alone and in groups, and a hedge will look quite spectacularly on the site.

Hedge

If it was decided to plant a hedge from chokeberry, then after 3-5 years you can get a massive composition that will delight not only with its beautiful shape, but also with its healing qualities. Chokeberry bushes, growing, form a dense green fence that tolerates a haircut. Also, such a fence can retain dust and protect other plants from its unwanted appearance. It is necessary to cut the plants every 2-3 years. This interval must be observed so that the mountain ash has time to bear fruit, and cutting each time 15–20 cm less, you will give the bush the opportunity to grow in height.

In general, caring for a hedge of chokeberry is quite simple, and in return you will get a good natural fence and a useful annual crop of berries.

Single and group landings

Chokeberry bushes look great both in single and in group plantings. The key point is the ability to grow fast enough and give new shoots, which distinguishes this bush from other similar plants. In addition, mountain ash is quite unpretentious to the soil, does not need constant fertilizing, and easily tolerates frosts and prolonged drought.

Did you know? Mountain ash is considered a symbol of family happiness. There is a belief according to which the berries must be laid out on the windowsill or between the frames, and as long as they retain their color, the family union will strengthen.

It is important to adhere to the principles of pruning and follow the rules of care to maintain the attractive appearance of your garden plot.

Compatibility with other plants

Chokeberry looks beautiful in the garden at any time of the year due to its attractive appearance. This bush goes well with various plants, so you can create interesting compositions of landscape design. Rowan hydrangeas, perennial asters, Korean chrysanthemums or Japanese anemones can become partners for mountain ash. Often used a combination in hedges with other fertile bushes, for example, red currants or gooseberries.

Advantages and disadvantages

As early as the middle of the 20th century, the described plant was listed in a book about medicinal crops. The berry can help with many diseases, but you should not completely rely on it. Chokeberry is rich in iodine, iron, copper, manganese, boron and contains vitamins C, E, K, B1, B2, B6. For the fair sex, this berry is considered very useful: its properties slow down the aging process.

It is important to remember that excessive consumption of rowan fruits can cause an allergic reaction due to a glut of vitamins. In this case, pressure may change, heartburn or constipation may occur. If you are taking a complex of vitamins with calcium, then at this time, mountain ash should be excluded from the diet, as it does not allow calcium to be absorbed normally. Taking chokeberry as a prophylaxis, do not forget that it contributes to blood clotting, and this is one of the causes of thrombosis.

Important! In order to preserve the healing properties of chokeberry fruits for the winter, they should be dried. It is not recommended to resort to freezing, because this method of storage destroys valuable tannins.

Chokeberry improves appetite, it is recommended for people with digestive disorders, as well as obesity, because it saturates and eliminates the false sense of hunger. During periods of restoration of immunity, it is recommended to drink mountain ash tea or just feast on berries. Rowan stabilizes blood sugar, being an assistant for diabetes.

How to plant a chokeberry

There is no need to worry about the soil: chokeberry can survive on acidic and sandy soils. But on the basis of more acidified, its growth will be significantly increased. Good lighting is important for this bush, since without the sun you can not see the fruits and bright foliage for a long time. It is better to plant seedlings in the fall, but not everyone abides by this rule. Planting in the spring, before the buds open, is also welcome. Even if the leaves have already blossomed on the planting material, anyway the bush will most likely successfully weather and take root.

Video: rowan planting

Planting chokeberries is no different from planting other fruit crops. They dig a hole with the same depth and diameter of 50 cm, cover the seedling with a layer of fertile soil with humus and fertilizers, and deepen the root neck by about 1.5 cm. When planting a seedling, it must be watered. Abundant watering will prevent the seedling from being rejected by the soil and help to adapt. At this stage, humus, sawdust and dry earth are used to mulch the bush. After planting, it is cut into 4 healthy kidneys - this is about 20 cm.

Shrub Care Rules

The bush under consideration does not require large expenditures on fertilizers and top dressing. He needs only clean water and timely pruning. To get a decent crop, the plant needs abundant watering during drought and at the time the first berries appear.

So that in your garden a plant with large stalks, dense foliage and a minimum number of fruits does not form, then you should not make fertilizers. Organic and mineral fertilizers can be used during planting, and chemistry will not be needed in the next 2 years. After 5 years, the bush can be fed with ammonium nitrate or organics, introducing them into the trunk circle.

Breeding methods

Chokeberry - a self-pollinated plant. Like other crops, rowan bush can be propagated by seeds, grafting, layering, cuttings, dividing the bush. But the easiest way is reproduction by root offspring. The appearance of the first shoots will not keep you waiting long, and during the summer progress of about 40 cm will be noticeable.

Did you know? In 2016, in Nalchik, the largest panel of chokeberry berries was laid out. Its size was 12×19 m, and more than 4 tons of berries were spent on the picture.

Propagation by seed occurs in mid-spring or in October days. Winter will be favorable to such seedlings, and the natural process of stratification will go well. They deepen the seeds into the soil by 2-3 cm. For the grafting method, ordinary rowan or pear material is used. But if you do not have time or desire to use such methods, then you can always buy a ready-made seedling.

Now you know that chokeberry can decorate compositions in your area, but it does not require significant care. Following simple rules, you will be able to create a massive hedge, attractive landscape groups or focus on a single shrub combined with other plants. Planting it on the site not only contributes to beauty, but also is beneficial, because together with a bright accent you also get a storehouse of useful trace elements.