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Nanking Cherry vs Miss Kim Korean Lilac
Prunus tomentosa
Syringa pubescens ssp. patula Miss Kim
NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON
NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON
Nanking Cherry is a small deciduous shrub known for its attractive white blossoms and edible fruit. Its dark red berries are excellent for pies, jellies, and even fresh eating.
Nanking Cherry is highly regarded as a shade tolerant fruit. We often see it planted as a hedge on the north side of a house where few other plants will survive, let alone thrive.
Expect fruit mid to late July. The fruit can vary in sweetness and size considerably. We often hear that people prefer it to sour cherries. Perhaps this is because Nanking Cherry is more closely related to plums. In fact, it is sometimes used as a dwarfing rootstock for plums.
Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Nanking Cherry seeds at SeedTime.ca.
Miss Kim Korean Lilac is a smaller cultivar of the Korean Lilac that blooms with pale purple flowers in late spring. It produces red-pink berries in mid to late July, and while they are edible, the flavor is not highly significant.
The Miss Kim Korean Lilac makes a good hedge and privacy screen, and will attract birds and butterflies to your yard.