Nanking Cherry vs Alberta Wild Rose (Prickly Rose) - TreeTime.ca

Nanking Cherry vs Alberta Wild Rose (Prickly Rose)

Rosa acicularis

Prunus tomentosa

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Alberta Wild Rose (Prickly Rose)
Nanking Cherry

Alberta's provincial flower, Alberta Wild Rose, is a small, deciduous shrub known for its beautiful pink blooms and thick, thorny stems.

Native to Canada, this hardy perennial is an attractive addition to any garden. Wildlife enjoy its edible rosehips, which inclined growers can use in jams, jellies, and rose hip tea.

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.

Alberta Wild Rose (Prickly Rose) Quick Facts

Nanking Cherry Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2a
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: low


Fall colour: bright red
Flowers: pink,blooms between May and June. Flowers are both male and female
Flowers: white, early spring
Fruit: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Berries: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, YT, NT, NU
Other Names: arctic rose, bristly rose, prickly wild rose
Other Names: ando cherry, chinese bush cherry, chinese dwarf cherry, downy cherry, hansens bush cherry, korean cherry, manchu cherry, mountain cherry, shanghai cherry