Honeywood Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Sweet Gale - TreeTime.ca

Honeywood Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Sweet Gale

Myrica gale

Amelanchier alnifolia Honeywood

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Sweet Gale
Honeywood Saskatoon (Serviceberry)

Sweet Gale is a native, nitrogen-fixing shrub known for its aromatic foliage. Tiny glands on the leaves release a balmy, bay leaf-like scent with floral and citrus notes. In spring, the yellowish male catkins provide one of the earliest sources of pollen for bees and other insects. While later in the season, the female catkins produce seeds that are eaten by waterfowl. Sweet Gale is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers occur on separate plants.

Sweet Gale thrives in wet, acidic soils and is commonly found along wetlands and lakeshores. It can help stabilize shorelines, while its dense growth provides valuable cover for wildlife. It is well-suited for naturalization, wetland restoration, and erosion control projects.

Honeywood Saskatoon, also known as Serviceberries, is excellent at producing an abundance of blue-coloured berries in mid-summer and has dark green foliage that turns yellow in the fall. It is quite large making it a perfect shrub in your backyard garden. Often grown for its edible qualities, the Honeywood Saskatoon is quite ornamental with stunning white blooms in the spring.

Sweet Gale Quick Facts

Honeywood Saskatoon (Serviceberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright, thicket-forming
Spreading: suckering - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: dotted with yellow glands, sweet scented
Fall colour: yellow
Bark: reddish-purple, dotted with yellow glands
Berries: produces large edible berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, YT, NT
Other Names: bog myrtle, meadow-fern, sweet bayberry, sweetgale
Other Names: honeywood juneberry, honeywood service berry