Garden shadblow is not known in the wild, but only as a garden plant and escapee in northern Europe. It is thought to be a form or cross of the North American running service berry (Amelanchier stolonifera), and was earlier called Amelanchier botryapium. Garden shadblow has a rather special habit: tall, erect stems in dense thickets. Because it produces only short runners, this method of spreading is not uncontrollable.
Native to the eastern United States, the Allegheny service berry prefers thickets with dry to moist soil at the forest edge. Beauty in two seasons, it is a slender small tree with spring flowering and autumn colour. The flowers are white 5-petalled in drooping clusters, while in autumn the leaves take on shades of warm orange.
Called in the trade saskatoon or blueberry tree, the Saskatoon service berry is sometimes planted for its looks, but more often for its edible berries. Dark blue, they ripen at Mustila in early August. They have a unique taste, somewhere between blueberry, rowan and plum, with a trace of almond. The berries are sweet and almost completely without acidity, so they are often used mixed with other berries.