Watch the birdies
Our feathered friends can be picky – and so should you when planting berries, writes David Overend.
If you want to watch the seasons pass, plant a rowan. See it push out fresh spring foliage, followed by masses of white blossoms and then berries that gradually turn to deepest red or vibrant orange; food for the bands of birds who appreciate the tree’s largesse to help them live through winter.
Plenty of berries in autumn means a hard winter ahead, so judging by the heavy harvest currently being produced by rowan (and numerous other trees and shrubs) we could be in for a chilly time.
The birds and small beasts of the field should be able to feed themselves silly on all the fruit that will be on offer, but for some reason, they appear to be very choosy about their diets.
While birds (and blackbirds in particular) go into a feeding frenzy over cotoneaster berries, and starlings, redwings and fieldfares play havoc with the fruits of those rowan, there are many more shrubs and trees which are left holding on to their bounty.
And while it’s a pleasant thought to provide birds with food to keep them going through winter, it’s also an equally pleasant thought that it’s quite possible to grow plants which will also give you, the gardener, bright spots through the darkest months.
So, plant a cotoneaster or a mountain ash by all means, but when you’ve got over your moment of charity and generosity, look at what the birds leave – and plant those shrubs.
Some aren’t exactly best suited to the average garden, but there are others that will adapt to most soils and situations.
A hawthorn hedge will not only act as a deterrent to man and beast alike; it will also produce flowers in spring and berries in autumn. Many hollies (ilex) will do the same, as will firethorns (pyracanthas).
Stranvaesia isn’t a shrub you see very often because if you haven’t got plenty of space, you’ll do well to avoid it. It grows tall and abundant, and produces white flowers in May and lots of red berries in autumn.
The snowberry (Symphoricarpos) is another grow-anywhere berry-bearer, but it’s deciduous. It’s just as rampant as Stranvaesia but produces white berries.
And then there’s the sea buckthorn, Hippophae. Ideal as a windbreak in coastal areas, it doesn’t mind where it grows, and its berries are so bitter (and sticky) that birds tend to give them a wide berth.