BERRY NICE INDEED
Officially it is still summer but I think there is a definite autumnal feel about the early mornings, and of course, the appearance of berries in the hedgerows and gardens. Dad always used to say that the berries on the mountain ash (Sorbus) were a sure sign of autumn, and they’ve been about for a few weeks.
I think berries are often forgotten about in the garden, with people focusing on flowers and foliage for colour and interest. As a garden designer, I always include berried shrubs for added interest and of course, for the birds.
One of my favourites at the moment are the beautiful hypericum berries. St John’s Wort is better known for its uplifting, buttercup-like, yellow flowers – and healing properties. The common one, Hypericum perforatum, is used pharmaceutically for depression and as an anti-inflammatory, and is a great addition to wildflower gardens. It will self-seed shamelessly, which can be a good thing if in the right place!
There are also some varieties, including Hypericum androsaemum ‘Autumn Blaze’ and Hypericum inodorum ‘Elstead’, which boast the most beautiful berries (see pic) of peach, white, green, pink and burgundy.
As well as adding colour to a border, they make lovely additions to flower arrangements and even bridal bouquets, and they can also be preserved to make them look good for months. Use the glycerine method (glycerine is available from chemists), which preserves the stems with some sap in, retaining their soft, growing texture and preventing them from drying to a crisp.
It may sound like a bit of a faff but the results are fabulous and you’ll be glad you made the effort. And if you’re lucky, they will even last long enough to be able to make Christmas wreaths and decorations with.
Condition stems well by searing in boiling water for about a minute and leave them overnight in deep water to drink. Then make up a small amount of one part glycerine to two parts hot tap water in a vase or jam jar so that you have only a few centimetres sitting in the bottom.
Leave the stems to preserve in the mixture until it has all been absorbed or evaporated. This takes about a fortnight but is essential to allow the oily solution to be slowly sucked up by the flower or seed head’s stem and absorbed into the cells as this gives the plant suppleness and strength for the best results.
Do keep out of the reach of dogs though as St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), is a member of the Clusiaceae family, which is toxic for dogs, causing photosensitization (sun sensitivity) and contact dermatitis.
I’m not sure about the androsaemum, and in over thirty years of gardening I haven’t heard of any cases of dogs eating the berries anyway, but prevention is better than cure.