Black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound'
Aronia melanocarpa 'Low Scape Mound' · Rosaceae
A knee-high, tidy mound of a native chokeberry, with white flowers in spring, black berries and bright red autumn leaves.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound'
The planner designed this bed around black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) formal bed in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' × 1, white
- 2 Yellow ice plant × 9, yellow
- 3 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 4 Rose turtlehead × 6, pink
- 5 Scarlet coral bells × 10, red
- 6 Persian fritillary × 2, purple
- 7 Camassia × 5, blue
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are daisies, plumes, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does Korean feather reed grass.
Why here
- At the back, and only just seen. At 20 in it is about the height of scarlet coral bells (18 in) in front of it.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early May to late May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With yellow ice plant, persian fritillary and camassia in mid May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a formal bed: 32 of the 34 plants (94%) are mirrored across the middle of the bed: each stands on the middle line or has a twin of its own kind opposite it. Persian fritillary is the first into flower, in late April, and Korean feather reed grass the last to finish, in mid October. Korean feather reed grass gives the bed its height and structure.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 5 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
A tough, low shrub for massing where a taller one would block the view. It asks for nothing and colours reliably every autumn.
- A low native hedge or edging
- Mass planting on banks
- Autumn colour at the front of a bed
What to plant with black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Black-eyed Susan 'Little Goldstar': takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid July.
- Prairie dropseed: carries the spot on into mid September.
- Purple coneflower: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late June; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it.
Questions about black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound'
Does black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' need sun or shade?
Black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Late May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid May to early June |
| Zone 5 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 6 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 7 | Late April to mid May |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to early May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound'?
Black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Purple coneflower: from late June to early September, 3 ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
What does black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' look like in winter?
Black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' good for bees and butterflies?
Black chokeberry 'Low Scape Mound' is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Aronia
- Black chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa
- Black chokeberry 'Viking' Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking'
- Red chokeberry 'Brilliantissima' Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima'
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants for a white garden
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; dark green, red
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern North America, NC
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Drought, wet soil
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.