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Winter Berries - Autumn Colour
The array of Autumn plant colour variants is amazing, within the world of berrying and fruiting plants. Birds seem to home in on berries in a colour order, starting with red, moving to orange, then on to yellow and white, finally on to odd colours like black, blue and purple. As berries are part of the plant reproductive cycle then, there are hundreds and hundreds of shrubs, trees and herbaceous and other plants that berry as a result. Remember most berries are poisonous to humans. I was hoping to do my usual top five in the berrying stakes, starting with red. Ilex verticilliata Christmas Cheer is a deciduous Holly which comes into its own when it has lost its leaves. It ends of the branches become smothered in red berries in late autumn. Best planted in groups of four or five a neutral to acid ground. This Holly loves to be planted in semi shade. 'Don't be shy have your say - share your views' Register for FREE if you have not already registered and then click HERE and to create a NEWTOPIC and tell us about your some of your favorites?
Ruscus aculeatus is also known as Butchers Broom and be careful of the spikes on the end of leaves. This is a dwarf evergreen shrub loving dry shade. The red berries form on hinges in the middle of each leaf. Most unusual and there are other varieties of Ruscus such as Ruscus hypoglossom which has bigger leaves and bigger berries.Viburnum opulus or the Gelder Rose has flat white flowers and wonderful clusters of red berries to the point that lots of people may think it was a redcurrant bush. Sun and Shade, chalky or acidic, it's really will thrive in all these conditions. There is a Viburnum opulus Sterile which has massive rounded white flowers in spring but no berries in the autumn. I have seen people plant one of each in the same hole and let them grow together to present a more exciting show during the year. Berberis thunbergii is a deciduous Barberry that, if left alone, becomes quite arching in habit and looks fantastic when it's berries along the arching stems. Skimmia japonica Foremanii has wonderful clusters of red berries that interestingly enough the birds don't seem to go for very much. Skimmia loves semishade and best on slightly acidic soil. The female forms of Skimmia require pollination from male varieties such as Skimmia japonica Rubella. Orange berries and here's my top five in no particular order Pyracantha Orange Glow, as I am always impressed by the number of berries that it manages to produce every autumn. Remember that Pyracantha is technically a Rose and therefore needs to be planted where you haven't already got mature rosaceous subjects. Hippophae rhamnoides is this large silver leaved spiky shrub that is excellent in exposed gardens around clifftops. In the autumn it is smothered in amazing orange berries. This one is very happy on quite impoverished ground. Danae racemosa makes four to 5 foot in a woodland environment where it gets filtered light and a leaf mould at its roots. This fantastic orange red berry on sought-after leaves for people who enjoy flower arranging. It's synonym is Ruscus racemosa so it enjoys a similar position to the other Danae mentioned in the red berry section above. Berberis wilsoniae has ever changing leaves and loses most in the winter but at the same time offers wonderful orangy-red fruits in the autumn. It is capable of five or 6 feet and enjoys a fairly sunny position. (Share with us) Register for FREE if you are not already a member and click HERE to create a NEWTOPIC to tell us about your successes and failures with growing berries? 'Don't be shy have your say - share your views' Register for FREE if you have not already registered and then click HERE and to create a NEWTOPIC and tell us about your some of your favorites? 'Don't be shy have your say - share your views' Register for FREE if you have not already registered and then click HERE and to create a NEWTOPIC and tell us about your some of your favorites? |
