Prunus virginiana Canada Red - Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red' is a variety of Virginia chokecherry that stands out for the beautiful purple colour of its foliage. It is also appreciated for its spring flowering in clusters of small white flowers that nourish bees and its small fruits sought after by birds. This tree will charm with both its ease of cultivation and its ornamental qualities. Suitable for medium-sized gardens, it can be planted as a solitary specimen or integrated into a large country hedge.

Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red' was selected by Mr Niels Hansen (U.S.A) in 1933. It was then marketed by Bailey Nurseries in Newport, Minnesota, in the United States before 1985. The species, the Virginia chokecherry, is native to North America. Like all Prunus, these small trees belong to the rose family. The cultivar 'Canada Red' has an upright and spreading habit, typically reaching 6 to 8 m in height and 4 to 6 m in width at maturity. Its growth is rapid. The tree develops an ovate crown that rounds out over time. Its leaves are broad and elliptical, emerging light green before turning dark purple-red in summer. They retain this colour until early autumn, then turn bright red before falling, quite late in the season. Flowering occurs in May in the form of upright clusters, measuring 7 to 15 cm long, composed of small white flowers with 5 petals measuring 1 cm in diameter. In summer, the tree produces small fruits (8 mm in diameter) of a dark purple-red, which are inedible in their raw state. The bark of this small tree is smooth and grey in young specimens, becoming rougher and more fissured with age. The very hardy Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red' can withstand temperatures down to -30 °C.

Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red' is a very hardy tree that will thrive in many regions, as long as it has deep soil that is not too dry in summer. It should be planted in an open position, as a solitary specimen on a lawn or in a large cluster of trees planted sparsely. It pairs well with many spring-flowering bushes and small trees, either simultaneously or at different times, such as ornamental crab apples, serviceberries, Prunus mahaleb, medlar trees, blackthorn, hawthorns...