Thiessen Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Falsebox - TreeTime.ca

Thiessen Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Falsebox

Amelanchier alnifolia Thiessen

Paxistima myrsinites

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

CUSTOM GROW

Thiessen Saskatoon (Serviceberry)
Falsebox

Thiessen Saskatoon is a deciduous shrub that produces delicious edible fruit. It is one of the most productive saskatoon varieties. Its fruit is great in pies, preserves or eating fresh.

Thiessen Saskatoon is popular with U-Picks and home owners because of its taller tree-like shape and larger berries. But it is not the best choice for berry orchards as it is too tall for most mechanical harvesting equipment.

Falsebox is a hardy, native evergreen shrub found in forests, rocky slopes, and open woodland sites. Though small and easily overlooked among the leaves, the maroon flowers still supply nectar and pollen for pollinators such as native bees and flies. Blooming in spring, they provide an important early-season food source. Its year-round greenery adds visual interest through the winter.

Falsebox is a low-growing shrub that tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought once established. It thrives particularly well beneath the shade of mature trees, where few other plants succeed. With its resilience and ecological value, Falsebox is well-suited for naturalization, restoration projects, and diverse landscape plantings.

Thiessen Saskatoon (Serviceberry) Quick Facts

Falsebox Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 5a
Height: 5 m (16 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Spreading: layering - medium
Suckering: low


Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Bark: reddish-brown
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Bloom time: summer
Berries: blue
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, pacific serviceberry, pigeon berry, western juneberry, western serviceberry
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood