Red Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red'

Canada Red is the chokecherry that pulls double duty as an ornamental and a wildlife tree. Spring brings clusters of white flowers with a sweet honey scent before the leaves finish expanding. Then the foliage emerges dark burgundy-red and holds that color through summer, turning deeper toward fall. Dark red to black cherries ripen in late summer and are taken almost immediately by cedar waxwings, catbirds, and bluebirds. The dark foliage reads as a handsome contrast plant in the landscape. use it where you'd plant a purple-leafed ornamental cherry and want the same visual impact with the added benefit of bird food and pollinator value. At fifteen to twenty feet, it fits residential lots where larger trees would overwhelm.