I know I have to fight with the birds in spring if I want a taste.

They grow to about six feet and can make a pretty hedge.
They are some of the first flowers I see in spring, and the flowers
seem to be restistant to frosts. The flower cover the bush with samll white petals.
The berries come in red or white.

If you look around, you can get a good deal on a number of them

If you're not familiar with Forest Farm, you may want to check out their extensive catalog. I've ordered from them for several years and they do have a number of shrubs and trees that are edible, both natives and some hybrids. Another good source for uncommone edible native shrubs and trees is Oikos Tree Crops. I ordered from them this past spring and was pleased. Really like their selection.

I am not sure if I have room for the Nanking cherry as it requires two but I will be doing more landscape improvements next year so maybe then. They sound nice, so thank you for the suggestion.

I did not order anything from Forest Farm but have seen their website. I did, however, also order Serviceberries for shipping this year so my budget is spent and I have work to do in the garden to get ready for my plants. I keep thinking about all the yummy fruits to come!!!!

I already have some juneberries in my garden and I really enjoy them fresh. I'm sure you will too.

Hidden Springs catalog states the folowing about nanking cherry "for HEAVIER bearing, order two or more". Does anyone have just one planted and still get descent fruiting or is it necessary to have two or more? I purchased the white variety last year from Edible Landscaping not realizing that I might need another.

I was supprised that they have wicked thorns! Doing an internet search on them, somehow I was of the opinion that unlike other members of the Elaeagnus family, that they were thornless. Oh well, just prune VERY carefully.

Lots of planting to do this weekend as I also had some Arrowwood Viburnums arrive from Forest Farm today and want to get everything in and planted so that all my shrubs can get a nice root system establised before really cold wheather comes in.

The leaves should speckled have a slight silvery coloring on the underside. Also the young stems should be a rusty bown and slightly speckled.

My Cherry E. doesn't have thorns and the leaves have a distinctive silvery underside. You should check your new plants NYRita. I know some of the other Elaeagnus are invasive. I hope they sent the right ones. :(

Jerri

Also, I ordered the "Sweet Scarlett" . I don't know if that makes any difference. I can't find any thorns on three of the shrubs since I checked them all this morning but the other four have the thorns. Otherwise all of them look the same.

By the way, "Sweet Scarlet" from Russia is the only cultivate variety listed in my "Cornicopia II" book.

I am done for this year, anything else will be done in the spring. The bushes I have look just like any picture I can find of Goumi. The thorns are still a mystery to me.

Anyway, I didn't get a chance to get more of them because of their problems. So I am going to order three more for this Fall. That way, maybe they can flower in the Spring too, just as last years did!

As to the suggestion somewhere in this thread that I also consider Nanking Cherries, I just planted three of them on Saturday. Can't wait for them to flower and fruit next spring.When I originially thought I had no room for the Nankings, I had not gotten to clearing out a neglected and wasted area in my yard that now is being put to much better use with some Elderberries planted, Nanking Cherries and the three to be ordered Goumi shrubs will be there also!

Also the flowers are described as "fuscia-like", is that how you would describe them? How large are the flowers?

Thanks...

~Chills

I was surprised at how much bigger the fruit was this year than last year. I guess thats because the shrubs were new then. Anyway, I tasted some fruits last week and boy were they SOUR! So I left them and tried again today when they were nice and red. The ones to eat are the ones that are red and alittle soft. WOW, WONDERFUL!!!! I can't believe how yummy!

That is my two cents...

Birds like to eat these berries and the birds have been having a field day. Robins, Catbirds, Mockingbirds and Orioles all day long scafing up berries.