WINTER BERRIES

Fruit-bearing shrubs and trees can reward you with a blaze of colour through the dark days of winter and bring a touch of home-grown magic to Christmas. Here are 12 beauties...

Bring a touch of home-grown magic to Christmas with fruit-bearing shrubs and trees

1 COTONEASTER

Cotoneaster x watereri is an adaptable semi-evergreen plant that can be grown as a large shrub, trained into a small tree or planted as a hedge. The variety ‘John Waterer’ sports a prolific crop of red autumn berries after its white summer flowers. Dwarf Cotoneaster horizontalis (seen opposite) is ideal for training against a fence in a smaller garden. C x suecicus ‘Juliette’ has scarlet berries and variegated foliage, while C ‘Exburiensis’ bears yellow berries.

2 CRAB APPLE

If there’s space for just one tree in your garden, the crab apple is a great choice and Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’ is one of the best. In spring, myriad deep pink buds open to a snowstorm of scented white blooms, followed by a heavy crop of scarlet fruits that hang like rich glossy red cherries. These have the bonus of remaining on the tree long after leaf fall, and can look spectacular in snow.

3 ROWAN

Berries of the rowan or mountain ash range from white to pink, orange, red and brown, all of which persist after leaf fall and are popular with birds. Sorbus koehneana (opposite) is white-fruited with leaves that turn plum-purple before they drop. The best of the pinks is Sorbus pseudohupehensis ‘Pink Pagoda’, while the butter-yellowberried Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ has lovely autumn colour.

4 IVY

Ivy berries may not be particularly showy but they’re a valuable winter food for birds. According to the RSPB website, the dry pith of the berries – ripening from November to January – contains nearly as many calories as a Mars bar. In spring, the flowers on mature plants are an essential source of food for insects, and the evergreen foliage provides shelter and nesting sites for birds.

5 BERBERIS

Berberis wilsoniae (above) is a compact shrub with arching stems that bear coral-pink berries in autumn. Berberis ‘Georgei’ can reach up to four metres, so is best trained against a wall or on its own as a focal point. An exceedingly prickly customer, berberis needs planting where it won’t inflict damage on unsuspecting passers-by. The many different varieties all bear fragrant yellow or orange flowers in spring.

6 CALLICARPA

Understandably known as the beauty berry, Callicarpa bodinieri var giraldii ‘Profusion’ (top) is a striking shrub bearing large clusters of spectacular violet bead-like fruit that persist long after the leaves have fallen. Not a great favourite of many birds, this is one that just provides pure and very colourful enjoyment.

7 PYRACANTHA

Also known as the firethorn, Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ is another prickly character, so wear thick gloves when handling. A mass of bright orange berries follows on from abundant white flowers in summer. It can be trained against a fence and makes an excellent, impenetrable hedge. Birds don’t find the berries very palatable, so they’ll stay on the plant well into winter until other food sources are exhausted.

8 HOLLY

All aquifolium hollies are prickly and the Ilex aquifolium ‘Alaska’ (top) is no exception. Small white flowers are followed by vibrant red berries in autumn. For something less prickly, the variegated, red-berried Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Golden King’ is generally smooth-leaved. Japanese holly, Ilex crenata, however, is thornless, compact and bears black berries.

9 ROSE

The red hips of Rosa glauca (above), popular with birds, contrast beautifully with its blue-green foliage and last into winter. In summer, this delicate rose bears small pink flowers on its arching and nearly thornless stems. It’s a good choice for the back of a mixed border or an informal hedge, as is the sturdier and decidedly thorny Rosa rugosa, whose far larger hips attract blackbirds and mistle thrushes. Different varieties bear fragrant yellow or orange flowers in spring.

10 CLERODENDRUM

The harlequin glorybower, Clerodendrum trichotomum var fargesii, is a vigorous-spreading deciduous shrub that can grow to six metres in height. Its fragrant white summer flowers, each enclosed in a deep red calyx, are followed in autumn by iridescent blue berries.

11 HAWTHORN

Crataegus persimilis ‘Prunifolia’ is a fine medium-sized hawthorn tree with rich red berries and bright autumn foliage. The berries and leaves drop early, but its spreading shape remains eyecatching throughout winter. Bear in mind the ‘thorn’ part of the name. In contrast, Crataegus pinnatifida var major ‘Big Golden Star’ is almost thornless and bears fruit nearly as large as crab apples, lasting well into winter. .

12 EUONYMUS

As well as striking pink fruit that splits open to reveal rich orange seeds, this reasonably compact spindle tree Euonymus hamiltonianus ‘Indian Summer’ has leaves that turn ruby-red in autumn. E hamiltonianus ‘Pink Delight’ carries a profusion of pink fruit with deep pink seeds, while ‘Popcorn’ has unusual pure white fruit with orange centres. It’s a good idea to prune out a quarter of the branches in summer to keep these shrubs open and make more of the berries. HB

Jewel-bright berries are a spirit-lifting sight as they glow through the gloom and attract wildlife