Nanking Cherry vs Villosa Lilac

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.

Popular Hedge Species!

Villosa Lilac is a relatively large and cold hardy shrub. It provides excellent privacy and wind protection.

Its fragrant, pink flowers grow in clusters at the end of its branches during mid to late summer and fade to a light pink over time. Villosa Lilac grows quickly and is drought resistant, making it suitable for the outer row of a shelterbelt. Its roots are non-suckering and it does not compete with nearby crops.

If you alternate Villosa Lilac and Common Purple Lilac in your hedge, your hedge will flower for more of the summer than if you plant either Lilac on its own.

Note: Villosa Lilac is more salt-tolerant than most of our stock.

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