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Viking Aronia (Bundle of 2) | Spring 2027
$69.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Viking Aronia is an aronia shrub rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), and self-fertile, so one plant can crop.
| Hardy to | Zone 3 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Pollination | Self-Fertile. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), late spring here. Viking is self-fertile, so two plants of it will fruit fine on their own. Adding our seedling Aronia bundle nearby can raise yields. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Pollination Charts. |
| Spacing | Plant 4 to 6 ft apart. |
| Good for | Ornamental value (8/10), jams and jellies (7/10), drying (6/10), juice and sweet cider (6/10), wine (6/10), feeding wildlife (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| What you get | Bare root, 1-5-2.5 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
Viking Aronia, also known as Viking black chokeberry, is a cold-hardy, deciduous fruiting shrub grown for heavy crops of dark, nutrient-dense berries and for its strong ornamental value. In Montana these berries hang on the shrubs well into the FallI (even if we get a super cold autumn), well into Nov. It produces clusters of white spring flowers, glossy green foliage through summer, and vivid red fall color, making it one of the rare fruits that earns its place in both edible plantings and landscape borders.
Origin and history
Viking is a cultivated selection of black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) that was developed in Finland in the early 80's from the black chokeberry (Aronia) native the the Eastern Norther America. It was selected as a cold climate adapted shrub with strong fruiting performance. It is widely planted as a productive fruiting cultivar rather than an ornamental-only chokeberry type, and it has become one of the most commonly offered aronia cultivars in North America for backyard and small-farm production.
Fruit & Uses
Viking produces dark purple-black berries that ripen in late summer. Fresh berries are characteristically tart and astringent, which is why aronia is most often used in processing. Viking is excellent for juice, syrup, jelly, wine, drying, freezing, and blending with sweeter fruits where it contributes color, acidity, and a deep berry character.
Growth Habit
Viking grows as an upright, multi-stem shrub. In typical conditions it matures around 4–6 feet tall and about 4–6 feet wide, forming a dense plant that can be managed as a standalone shrub or allowed to become part of a productive hedgerow over time.
Spacing
Viking Aronia is sold on its own roots rather than grafted. For individual shrubs, spacing of about 4–6 feet is appropriate depending on how quickly you want plants to knit together. For hedgerows, tighter spacing will fill in faster, while wider spacing improves access and airflow for harvesting and long-term maintenance.
Pollination
Viking Aronia is self-fertile. For more yields, plant with our wild Aronia that we also offer.
Cold hardiness
Viking is typically listed as hardy to zone 3 and suited to very cold continental winters. That said, we wouldn't be surprised if it can survive even colder temps than -40F.
Questions we get about Viking Aronia
Does Viking Aronia need a pollenizer?
No. Viking Aronia is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Viking is self-fertile, so two plants of it will fruit fine on their own. Adding our seedling Aronia bundle nearby can raise yields.
How cold hardy is Viking Aronia?
We rate Viking Aronia hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
What is Viking Aronia good for?
Our top use scores for Viking Aronia are ornamental value (8/10), jams and jellies (7/10), drying (6/10), juice and sweet cider (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
What arrives, and when does Viking Aronia ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 1-5-2.5 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.