Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’ (Red Chokeberry)

Noted for its attractive glossy red berries and excellent red fall foliage color, Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’ (Red Chokeberry) is a deciduous shrub adding multi-season beauty to the garden. In spring, a profusion of white to light pink flower clusters appear along the branches. Rich in nectar, they are of great interest to early butterflies and pollinators. The flowers are followed in late summer by abundant clusters of red berries that persist throughout fall and well into winter. Ornamental and adding winter interest to the landscape, they also make tasty jams and jellies. The foliage of elliptic, glossy dark green leaves turns brilliant red in the fall and is often compared to the flamboyant Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus). Easy to grow, Red Chokeberry species is native to both wet and dry thickets primarily in eastern North America. 

More compact than the species, ‘Brilliantissima‘ is a cultivar that produces more lustrous foliage with superior red fall color and larger, glossier, and more abundant fruits. 

• Slowly grows with an erect and bushy habit, up to 6-10 ft. tall (180-300 cm) and 3-5 ft. wide (90-150 cm). Remove root suckers to prevent colonial spread
• A full sun to part shade lover, this plant is best grown in average, medium, well-drained soils. Best fruit production generally occurs in full sun. Tolerates a wide range of soils, including boggy or dry soils
• Winner of the Gold Medal award of The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
• Generally pest and disease free, it is also deer tolerant.
• Mass in mixed shrub borders, woodland gardens, naturalized areas where its suckering, colonial growth habit does not need to be restrained. Perfect as specimen plants, hedges, or along ponds or streams. 
• Propagate by seed in fall outside. Can also be propagated by removing suckers and potting them up when plants are dormant. Softwood cuttings can be taken in early summer.