Berrying shrubs
Symbol of nature's bounty
Berries are such a potent symbol of nature’s bounty – who wouldn’t wish to have them in their garden? Edible berries add an extra dimension to any garden and include rosehips, currants, bilberries, blueberries and even the sweet fruit of the juneberry (Amelanchier). Nuts are fun as well - think of hazels.
Intrinsic beauty of berries
Berrying shrubs are a special group within the category of shrubs because of the intrinsic beauty of berries. Some, like Callicarpa, spindle and buckthorn derive most of their decorative beauty from their fruit. Others look good twice a year, when they flower and when they bear fruit, think of Pyracantha and Skimmia.
A few varieties look good even more often: for example, the juneberry produces brownish foliage, flowers magnificently, develops dark berries which birds love and has a marvellous autumn colour. These are ideal plants for a garden.
Shrubs with attractive (ornamental) fruit
- Bilberry, lingonberry, cowberry (Vaccinium species) *
- Bittersweet (Celastrus, as climbing shrub)
- Buckthorn (Hippophae) *
- Flowering quince (Chaenomeles)
- Cotoneaster *
- Stag's horn sumach (Rhus)
- Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) *
- Spindle (Euonymus)
- Dogwood (Cornus, various species) *
- Juneberry (Amelanchier) *
- Leycesteria formosa *
- Hawthorn (Crataegus) *
- Fragrant daphne (Daphne, poisonous for humans!) *
- Beauty berry (Callicarpa)
- Rose (Rosa, hip roses) *
- Snowberry (Symphoricarpos)
- Shrubby honeysuckle (Lonicera) *
- Elder (Sambucus) *
- Pyracantha
- Barberry (Berberis, various species) *
(*=Birds like to eat them) |
