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PLANTS WITH BERRIES IN THE WINTER
People plant shrubs with berries for a multitude of
reasons. Some people want to provide food for birds and wildlife,
while some use the berries for floral arrangements. Others simply
are looking for something with color when all the leaves have dropped.
Whatever your reasoning is, you can certain to find a wide selection of
plants to choose from to fit your needs. Here are a couple
suggestions to get you started.
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Winterberry Holly
Ilex verticillata is a
commonly used shrub for winter interest, as the name might imply.
This is a great native plant for wet areas with part to full sun
exposure. Winterberries come in all shapes and sizes, with the
straight species being the largest at around 10-15 ft. 'Oosterwijk'
is a more rounded variety, about 4-6 ft. both vertically and
horizontally. It produces loads of large red berries along the
branches, making it a favorite selection of gardeners who choose the
winterberry for decorative floral arrangements. 'Berry Heavy' is a
bit more upright and slightly taller than 'Oosterwijk'. Birds will
feed on the fruit, but will first wait until the berries freeze and thaw
a few times. |
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Pyracantha
Also known by the name
"firethorn", the Pyracantha is a perfect choice if you're looking for a
plant to grow in close proximity to a building or wall, as they can be
trained to grow against a surface much like a hydrangea vine or other
similar climbing, creeping plant. Make no mistake, though, this
plant certainly is no vine, and it does bear small, hard thorns amidst
its bright orange berries. The pyracantha 'Mohave' has orange
berries whereas some cultivars are red. If you are sold on the
pyracantha's berries but not it's growth habit or size, you might take a
look at 'Red Elf', a shrubby, dwarf variety. |
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Cotoneaster
Have an area of your property
that is suffering from erosion? The cotoneaster (pronounced
"ca-TOE-nee-AS-ter" not cotton Easter) is perfect for keeping the soil
in its place while adding a little bit of color to the landscape - a
good substitute for the juniper if evergreens are not your thing.
Although it is considered a groundcover shrub, some cultivars of this
plant do have a little bit of height to them, sometimes reaching 2 or 3
feet. Depending on the variety, cotoneasters' branching is
somewhat arching, providing for a graceful almost weeping look when
planted on a hillside. It is a very tough, hardy shrub that will
thrive in well-drained soil in full or part sun. Its berries are
red and very pronounced against the dark green foliage. The
cranberry cotoneaster is noted for its large, bright berries, as you
might guess from the name. An adaptable plant, cotoneaster isn't
just limited to runaway dirt duty - try it out in a rock garden amongst
boulders, or let it trail over a wall. |
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Beautyberry
Who could forget about the
beautyberry when discussing winter interest? While so many berried
shrubs sport warm colored fruit like reds and yellows, the Callicarpa
stands out in the crowd with its bright purple berries. Not that
there's anything unusual about the color purple, but it's quite uncommon
to see plants in this area bearing purple anything so late in the
season, unless it's their leaf color! The berries form in clusters
along the branches and really make a statement. There are 2
different varieties, one being larger and more upright than the other.
They both can take part shade to full sun. We get comments every
year on our beautyberry next to the barn here at the nursery, usually
followed by, "What is it and do you have it?". Stop out and see
for yourself - if you're lucky enough we may still have some left! |
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INTEREST MAIN PAGE |
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