In June, We Have Juneberries.
In June, we have Juneberries. The Juneberry, or serviceberry, is more than a beautiful native tree. It features showy spring blossoms, edible summer fruit, vibrant fall color, and an attractive natural form in winter. As Dr. Robin W. Kimmerer stated on her book, 'The Serviceberry’, it is a quiet reminder of nature's generosity. It is truly ‘The Giving Tree.’ Yet its greatest gift may be the way it nourishes relationships, offering its berries freely to birds, wildlife, and people alike, inviting us to consider a world rooted in reciprocity, gratitude, and abundance. Its generous harvest of berries reminds us that the gifts of nature are often meant to be shared.
Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) is pretending that it is a part of Gray Birch (Betula populifolia ‘Whitespire’).
June 4. 2023. The High Line. photo by Sunghee Lee
Only in late autumn, after the serviceberry has surrendered every last leaf, are we finally able to appreciate the grace of its form, when the elegant structure of its trunk and the delicate lines traced by its branches are unveiled.. One of the reasons I am so fond of the serviceberry is precisely the quiet beauty of those refined lines like the ones in front of the Pfizer Laboratory at NYBG.
Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance'
November 22. 2021. Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory at New York Botanical Garden
photo by Sunghee Lee
Before many other trees fully wake up from winter, this beautiful serviceberry covers itself with countless white blossoms. The flowers seem to float on the branches like small clouds, bringing a fresh and peaceful feeling to the garden. What makes the bloom so captivating is not merely its beauty but its timing. The blossoms arrive when the landscape is still subdued, when lawns are only beginning to green and many trees remain bare. On a cloudy afternoon at the Pepsico Headquarter, its white flowers even glowed softly in the pale light. Diligent bumblebees visiting the blossoms, and a gentle breeze moving through the branches. It was a simple scene, but one that always catches my attention.
Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance'
April 22. 2019. The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at PepsiCo World Headquarters
photo by Sunghee Lee
Accompanied by a fothergilla, a Virginia witch-hazel, and my beloved Himalayan birches, an Allegheny serviceberry displayed its brilliant golden foliage at the entrance to a small woodland garden near the Home Gardening Center at NYBG. Passing through this charming corner became one of my seasonal rituals. As the colors changed from week to week, the garden quietly marked the passage of time. No other place gave me such a deep appreciation for phenology, the subtle rhythms of the seasons and the ever-changing life of plants.
Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis)
November 9. 2011. New York Botanical Garden. photo by Sunghee Lee
