Gardening with Gerry: two seasons of true beauty

Like many good garden plants, snowy mespilus has a few common names. In its native North America, it is variously known as Juneberry, service berry and shad bush as well. The Juneberry name refers to the small black berries that are produced in June from the spring flowers. These are edible and sweet but not very tasty. Cooking makes them more palatable.

However, they are often eaten by birds, especially blackbirds and thrushes. The name service berry comes from the edible fruit, making it a serviceable tree. The name mespilus really belongs to the medlar which is related to this tree.

Amelanchier is the correct Latin name, derived from the French name for a European species, but the North American species are the ones seen in gardens.

Amelanchier lamarckii is taller and more tree-like and Amelanchier canadensis tends to make a lower, more bushy shrub, suckering much more profusely. Juneberry is principally grown for its fine show of white flowers in April. It resembles a flowering cherry and they are related.

However, the charms of the beautiful Juneberry do not end there. It is also one of the best flowering small trees that offers autumn colour. The ideal place for snowy mespil is on a rough bank or boundary to the garden where it could be planted as a large group of shrubs and allowed to grow unhindered.

As a small tree it can be fitted into any garden and looks great as backing of a border of shrubs or a mixed border of shrubs and perennial flowers.

Spring show

Its masses of pure-white flowers are great for a dramatic spring show. The whole bush erupts into flower with the coppery leaves following quickly as soon as the flowers open.

The leaves are rounded oblong and quite a neat size, to ten centimetres, along the branches. During summer, the foliage is pretty but not remarkable. The grand finale comes as autumn approaches, some leaves turn red and later the whole plant can take on stunning tones of red and yellow. It is one of the best shrubs or trees for autumn colour and this comes as a complete contrast to its spring show, but it is equally good and lasts longer.

Unlike many trees and shrubs that colour well and need acidic soil, the amelanchier thrives well on limy soil. The plant likes not too fertile soil and performs better when this is the case. Very few plants are as versatile and produce two seasons of beauty.

If your space is limited you will have to prune to maintain your desired height and also canopy clearance, every year or so. The rate of growth is not particularly fast, and of course the ultimate height and spread depends on growing conditions. On average, these plants grow about 30 cm a year.

However, some plants have been known to grow up to 60 cm in a single year.

Common problems for this kind of plant are powdery mildew, rust, and scab. These can all be treated with fungicides. If the plant is affected by powdery mildew, the leaves will have a white powdery substance on them.

Amelanchier lamarckii is an easy tree to grow for beginners.

Fruit, vegetables and herbs: Various vegetables and fruits, among them, carrots, parsnips, leeks, and cabbage and cauliflower, and fruit, including apples and pears, can be stored.

Flowers and borders: There is still plenty of time to make preparations for spring borders filled with flowers, planting bulbs for spring display and winter pots.

Lawns: Lawns have been exceptionally good this autumn, with good leafy green growth and certainly no need for feeding.

Greenhouse and house plants: It was a disappointing year in the greenhouse because most of the greenhouse crops needed more light than was available practically all summer.

Trees, shrubs and roses: The vast bulk of trees and shrubs are now available for sale in pots rather than bareroot.

I have noticed in the last couple of years that a new plant with large silvery white leaves has been gaining prominence in winter containers. My question is how reliable is this plant which I believe is called Angel Wings? - P Maher, Co Tipperary

Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ is a truly remarkable plant that seems to break the rules. It carries large leaves with hairy growth and this on the surface would seem to indicate a plant that likes dry soil conditions and lots of sunshine.

It looks like a plant that would be easily damaged by frost but can usually survive frost quite well and has had no problems with an early winter, such as those we have experienced in recent years. Hopefully, it will continue to be largely frost-proof.