Ornamental trees and shrubs are planted in the home landscape for their beautiful flowers, foliage, and form. While chiefly ornamental, some of our common landscape plants are also edible. The eating quality of some ornamental fruit is not the same as the apples, pears, and other fruits bred specifically for high-quality, tasty fruit. For some, the fruit is quite tart or acidic, and others have small, seedy fruit, making it difficult to consume. On species like crabapple and ornamental plums, the fruit looks much like smaller versions of more common edible species/types (apples, plums), but the taste and quality are often rather poor. These trees were selected for their ornamental characteristics rather than the eating quality of their fruit.
Despite this, the fruit on some of our landscape plants can be used, especially for jams and jellies. They also serve as good food sources for wildlife, like birds. So even if you don't enjoy the fruit, the neighborhood wildlife can!
Below are several common landscape trees and shrubs that produce edible fruit. A word of caution: if you are uncertain of the identity of a tree or shrub, don't eat the fruit. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Crabapple | Purple-Leaved Plum | Chokecherry | Callery Pear | Serviceberry | Elderberry | Corneliancherry Dogwood | American Cranberrybush | Chokeberry | More Information
Crabapple
The crabapple (Malus spp.) is an example of a common ornamental that also produces edible fruit. Apples and crabapples are differentiated strictly on the size of their fruit. Crabapples are varieties with fruit 2 inches or less in diameter. Those with larger fruit are apples.
At maturity, crabapple fruits vary from yellow to orange to bright red. The fruit of some crabapple varieties color and ripen in August, and others mature in the fall. (The colorful, persistent fruit of many of the newer crabapple varieties are actually an important ornamental characteristic.)
While all crabapple fruit can be used in making jellies and preserves, large-fruited varieties, such as Whitney and Chestnut, are the best.
Purple-Leaved Plum
Purple-leaved plums (Prunus cerasifera), such as Newport, Thundercloud, and Mount Saint Helens, are planted in the home landscape for their white or pink flowers and purple foliage. In most years, ornamental plums produce little or no fruit as they bloom so early that pollination is generally poor. Occasionally, however, they produce a good crop of fruit. The edible fruits are approximately 1 inch across and dark purple at maturity.
Chokecherry
The new growth of Canada Red and Schubert chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) emerges green but quickly turns to a maroon red. The small trees produce clusters of white flowers in spring, followed by round, 1/3-inch diameter fruit. At maturity, the fruit are dark purple to black. Though bitter, the mature fruit can be used for jams, jellies, and juices.
Callery Pear
Autumn Blaze, Chanticleer, and Redspire are some of the common cultivars of the ornamental pears (Pyrus calleryana) grown for their glossy dark green foliage and small white flowers in early spring. Ornamental pears generally produce only small numbers of fruit (although, in recent years, that fruit has gotten a lot of attention as it has been spread by birds and has become an invasive plant in certain conditions). This species is a close relative of the common pear, but that does not mean it produces great fruit. While technically edible, the small, roundish, 1/3-inch across, and tan to brown fruit is not palatable.
Serviceberry or Juneberry
Many species of Amelanchier are grown for their beautiful white spring flowers and lovely fall color. These multi-stemmed small trees also produce a tasty small dark fruit in May or June. If you can beat the birds to it, the fruit is great for jams, jellies, and syrups.
Elderberry
The native elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) grows into a large shrub. It is grown in the landscape because of its beautiful flat-topped clusters of white flowers and adaptability to many different growing conditions. The large flower clusters turn to dropping clusters of small dark purple berries in late summer into fall. The flowers (elderflower) and berries are used for winemaking, and the fruit has many uses in pies, jellies, and pancakes, among other things.
Corneliancherry Dogwood
Corneliancherry dogwood (Cornus mas) is one of the first shrubs to bloom in spring, often pushing its yellow flowers out in March. Fruits are oval and mature to cherry red in mid-summer. While the fruit is edible, it tastes sour fresh off the plant. It is best used for making jellies, syrups, and preserves.
American Cranberrybush
The American cranberrybush viburnum (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) is also referred to as highbush cranberry. However, it is actually not a cranberry at all! In fact, they are not even part of the same plant family. The lovely bright red clusters of small round fruit mature in late summer or early fall. They are quite tart straight off the plant (just like cranberry) but are great used in jams, jellies, and sauces. It can even be used as a substitute for cranberries if you're in a pinch.
There is a similar species native to Europe (Viburnum opulus) that does not have good-tasting fruit. These similar-looking plants can be easily confused, so choose the right species if you wish to use the fruit.
Chokeberry
Some of us know this shrub better by its genus name, Aronia. These beautiful shrubs have pretty spring flowers and great fall color. Their fruit has been touted by many as a "superfood" as it is rich in antioxidants. The fruit ripen from late August through mid-September. Fruits are extremely astringent due to their high tannin levels but mellow considerably when processed for juice, jam, or other products. This lovely landscape shrub is also grown specifically for its fruit. Learn more in this article: Growing Aronia in Iowa.
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