Berried Treasures

When selecting shrubs and trees to plant in your garden, consider not only the beauty of flowers and foliage, but also the added benefit of fruit.

Berries add another dimension to the attractiveness of the landscape, and can last until late winter. Birds and other wildlife benefit from the berries as an important source of food when most other sources have disappeared. Even birds that primarily feast on insects will switch their diets in the winter to berries in order to survive the long, lean winter months.

The list of berry-producing shrubs and trees includes the service berry, viburnums, roses, beauty berries, hollies, sumacs, persimmons, bayberries, nandinas and pyracanthas. I have highlighted a few that are easy to grow, last into winter and are particularly attractive.

American Beauty-Berry 

The American Beauty-Berry, with its long arching branches, grows three to five feet in height and width. It has yellow-green fall foliage and clusters of striking shiny purple berries held close to the branches. They are easy to grow in sun or part shade.

Winterberry Holly

Unlike the evergreen hollies, the Winterberry Holly is deciduous, meaning it loses its leaves for part of the year. This holly will grow in partial shade or full sun and will flourish in wet soils. The showy display of berries is enhanced when the leaves disappear, making the berries much more visible. The cut branches are valuable in holiday decorations. You can also take some branches and stick them in the soil of your empty containers to ramp up the festive feel.

Cardinal Candy

Cardinal Candy is a nicely rounded deciduous shrub that will grow six to eight feet tall. It likes sun or partial sun, and carries an incredible display of abundant, glossy red fruit in the fall that persists into winter. It is blanketed with creamy white flowers in the spring and forms an attractive well-branched shrub that fits in well with any landscape.