Berry treasure
A BEAUTIFUL burst of berries has big garden appeal.
Berry-producing trees and shrubs not only hold interest throughout autumn and winter, they will keep birds happy when food is scarce.
Mountain ash, or rowan, is the great all- year- rounder that marks the changing of the seasons with flowers, fruit and glorious autumn colour. Plus there is that shapely silhouette when the leaves drop off.
Its neat conical habit makes it the ideal choice for a small garden, where it is best used as a feature tree in a lawn or the focal point in a border.
The leaves are a food source for moth caterpillars, while flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees. Lush red berries are popular with blackbirds, mistle thrushes, redstarts, redwings, waxwings and fieldfares.
With its ornamental good looks, Callicarpa Profusion, also known as beauty berry, offers gardeners a taste of the unusual. It’s a broad shrubby plant needing lots of space.
Shapely
It will provide birds with a treat when lilac flowers give way to masses of violet-purple fruit. They appear against a backdrop of pink autumn foliage and last on bare stems into winter – if birds don’t get there first.
As tough as old boots, thorny pyrancantha, or firethorn, should be in your top ten must-grow plants.
They offer great value for money with fragrant bee-friendly flowers in June followed by bright red, orange or yellow berries. Birds adore them.
Orange Glow is a reliable variety with long-lasting berries, popular with blackbirds. It can be grown as an evergreen hedge or wall shrub, where its thorny stems can deter burglars.
Mahonia Charity is a much loved shrub, with lily-of-the-valley scented, yellow winter blooms. Pollen, seed and edible blue-black berries feed bees, butterflies and birds. With its holly-like leaves and shapely outline, it should be given a prime position so it can be appreciated all year round.
Metallic turquoise blue berries make Viburnum davidii an excellent evergreen for lifting a shady garden out of gloom. Both male and female plants must be planted for berries so plant several to provide a low level, ground cover between large shrubs.