10:33 - 10 November 2010
Great plants for autumn berries.
Utilise all the characteristics of garden plants to fill your garden with colour and interest all year round.
Berried plants add jewels of colour to the garden when other plants are plain and bare. They are also a valuable food source for wildlife, which will help to keep pest populations to a minimum if they visit your garden regularly.
Shrubs that bear berries are a great addition to the border. There are many to choose from but for something a little different opt for the rich violet purple-berried Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’. It’s not fully hardy so plant in a sheltered spot, or in a container that can be protected or brought into a greenhouse if the weather is severe.
Pyracanthas are much-underrated shrubs that are easy to train against vertical surfaces or as a prickly hedge. It’s a great plant for wildlife, the blackbirds love the berries and in the spring the flowers are a magnet for bees. For rich orange bauble like berries choose Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ and Pyracantha ‘Mohave’ as well as the pretty variegated Pyracantha ‘Mohave Silver’ and look out for some new cultivars including Pyracantha Saphyr Orange ‘Cadange’ and Pyracantha Saphyr Rouge ‘Cadrou’. These plants are quick to develop beautiful berries and flower well in the spring. Pyracantha are also a good choice for security hedging, as their hard thorns create a prickly barrier along vulnerable boundaries.
Other great berried shrubs include cotoneasters which are available in a range of forms to suit most gardens. The birds love their berries and the spring flowers provide vital forage for bees.
Tree matters
Trees such as the rowan have wonderful autumn berries. There are several ornamental varieties, some with attractive pink berries such as Sorbus hupehensis var. obtusa and Sorbus vilmorinii. These trees also have glorious autumn foliage.
Holly is another excellent garden tree that bears berries, it can also be pruned to control its growth and restrict it to a bushy shrub. Choose Ilex aquifolium for rich green foliage and red berries, or one of the many hybrids with variegated leaves for added interest. Don’t worry if the birds don’t eat the berries straight away, sometimes they need to ripen before the birds notice them or want to eat them.
Hedge your bets
Hedges can be home to a number of plants that not only bear berries but also provide useful nesting sites for birds. Those that have spines as well are a useful garden security device especially along boundaries. Many Berberis make excellent hedging plants, choose Berberis thunbergii ‘Rose Glow’ for red berries and flecked foliage. If you've room consider planting hedges for wildlife, plants with fruit, such as crab apples and blackberries, also provide a useful source of food for wildlife too.
Blackthorn is a useful, spiny hedging plant that has berries worthy of notice, for it bears sloes that can transform mother’s ruin (gin) into a delicious liqueur. Don’t forget to add hawthorn, it’s a really a good choice as it provides protected nesting sites for birds as well as a source of winter food and masses of spring flowers for the insects. Add some wild roses to create a hedge full of delectable autumn fruit for man and beast.
Food crops
It’s not just autumn berries that make a great addition to the garden, plant some summer fruiting shrubs and perennials such as gooseberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. The colourful fruit look great but taste even better when transformed into a variety of puddings, pies and preserves. Don’t forget about blueberries and cranberries, these ericaceous plants need an acid soil, but can be successfully grown in large planters or a dedicated acid bed. All these berried plants can be planted during the autumn for a first crop of delicious berries the following year.
