Viking Aronia
An attractive, vigorous, and productive small shrub, Viking Aronia is a popular commercial variety in Europe. Viking bears abundant crops of large, almost black berries which make tasty and nutritious juice and wine. Viking’s lustrous, dark green foliage turns a beautiful fire-engine red in the fall.
This American native has become very popular throughout the world. Prized for nutritious fruit and and ornamental value in the spring, Aronia is covered with large clusters of snowy white flowers followed in September by large, attractive, blue-black berries. The grand finale is the striking, fire-engine-red foliage in the fall. Very nutritious and high in antioxidants and anthocyanins, Aronia berries are eaten fresh, but more commonly used to make tasty juice and preserves. The very dark blue juice is also a high quality, stable, natural food coloring.
Latin Name: Aronia melanocarpa
Site and Soil: Viking Aronia like full to 1/2 day sun and most soils.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fertile.
Hardiness: Hardy to minus 40° F.
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 3 – 4 ft. in height.
Fruit Skin: Dark blue-black
Fruit Size: Large
Bloom Time: April
Ripening Time: September
Yield: 10+ lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Aronia is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 3-9