Just for the record, I found an Ebay seller from the midwest that was offering Autumn Magic chokeberry/aronia in lots of 3. Through an paypal promotion I got them super cheap. It took a couple of weeks to get them because of the freezing weather where they were located kept them in the ground longer than anticipated.

They arrived very well packaged and healthy looking. They each had one bare whip maybe 2 feet long or so, with 1-4 little pokey shoots ready to come from the crown. The 4 I planted are all growing very nicely and I presume the 2 I gave away are as well.

Since planting them I saw them available at a local nursery (Shortey's) with a description that says the berries are bitter. The other variety of Aronia they had there didn't use the word bitter. It was either Viking or Nero, I can't recall. It also looked like it probably came from a different wholesaler.

That left me wondering if the the Autumn Magic are more bitter than Viking or Nero, of if it just that one supplier was smart enough to leave the word "bitter" off of the description.

Another curious thing I stumbled upon while trying to learn about Aronia, is that at least one source claims that Aronia are used to improve color, tannins, and even sugar content of grape wine. The tannins and color made sense, but I was very surprised abou the sugar part. The source said that fully ripened Aronia berries could reach a 18 or 22 brix (I don't recall which it was).

That or another source also claimed that birds cannot taste tannins. How would they know?

John, to make sure I understand, are you saying that you've tried Autumn Magic, Viking and Poland and that you find that Viking and Poland are better liked fresh by birds, you and your wife. And that your wife likes aronia berries better than you do?

What pome fruit varieties in particular are known to be compatible with aronia? I've seen One Green World advertise a mountain ash (I believe) on aronia rootstock. Would they take apples, pears or quince?

Thanks Lon,

I have 4 plants so far, if you count the ones that I've grafted other species onto. I haven't tried the fruit yet so I'll give those a try first.

Do they self-seed if the fruit is left on?

Update:

I tried the aronia berries at the HOS Arboretum this past weekend. They were the first I have eaten fresh and I was very pleasantly surprised by how well I liked them. I should say that, after reading posts on various Internet forums, I had pretty low expectations.

These berries were large, plump, juicy and sweet. My only complaints, in order of degree, were that if anything they could have more berry or fruity flavor, and some of them were slightly bitter. I think the fruit from one of the bushes was better than the other 2 or 3 in that it wasn't bitter and was less astringent (mouth drying) than the others. Of course after eating one bitter or astringent fruit it becomes more difficult to judge others.

For comparison, I liked these fruit for eating fresh better than the majority of the summer pears and apples that were at the sampling table at the HOS picnic. I also liked them better than most of the ripe gooseberries I tried (Captivator being the exception).

I guess I had expected the aronia berries to be more dry, firm, and pithy, like cranberries or tiny crabapples. I was also expecting them to be sour. They weren't any of those things. I didn't think that they are supposed to be fully ripe in August, but they soft, sweet and juicy. The juice is very dark and staining, and picking the berries left a weeping wound. I see why one source says that when hand-harvested they are cut in clusters from the bush.

If my Autumn magic berries are as good as the best of these I'll be well pleased. According to the HOS web inventory all 3 of their aronia are seedlings procured from Lawyer Nursery.