In Search of a Juneberry
- Denise Frakes
- May 28
- 2 min read
"The ripe fruit of a juneberry is dark purplish, almost tricking you into thinking it’s a highbush blueberry, but it’s not. Rather, imagine that a blueberry and a raspberry had a baby, with hints of apple and dark cherry, and add a surprising almond flavor from the tiny, edible seeds" Jenn Rice
Have you ever heard of a Juneberry? This spring, my mom told me about my great grandma Biddle's love of her juneberries. I'd given her the book The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I had no idea this little impromptu gift would lead me to a rich discovery of Native plants, pollinator friendly gardening, road trips, research, and a ton of juneberry discussions...welcome or not- lol.
Once my mom and I got to taking about grandma and her juneberries, the search was on. What is a Juneberry? Can I grow one in the NW? What are Juneberries? Are they good? Where do you find a Juneberry? How big are they? Are they a tree or bush? Oh so many Questions.
It turns out, Juneberries are a native plant. Be careful if you are looking to find native Juneberries/Serviceberries/Saskatoons in normal nurseries, they are probably hybrids- more for show than baking pies. You can grow either but the originals will better support our environment. Plus, why would I plant anything but the original great grandma's Juneberry?
Fast forward to now, after a lot of searching and research, we did find local, native nurseries that sell Juneberries-or Amelanchier alnifolia. Usually referred to as serviceberries. There is a great little native plant nursery in Gig Harbor WA - Woodbrook Native Plants. In our hunt, we also came across a native plant/medicinal plant nursery in Tacoma WA Calendula farms and earth works
Both we highly knowledgeable and generous with their time and wisdom.
To catch you up. As of this writing, May 28th, 2025, I/we have 3 little juneberries planted at our home. One even has about 20 starting to turn juneberries! I'm cheering her on!
The moral of this story... Be willing to travel unexpected places. You just might find a new path full of joy, discover, learning, sharing and curiosities.
Enjoy,
Denise
Here are some of the fun Juneberry sites I discovered in my quest:
Comments