Aronia / chokeberry

Aronia is more shrub than tree and gets going quickly — expect your first berries in the second year after planting. By year four you will have heavy, reliable crops of those intensely dark berries. They are self-fertile, utterly hardy, and almost disease-free. The berries are too astringent for most people to eat raw, but they make superb juice, jam, and wine. Brilliant autumn colour is a bonus.