Help! Looking for a plant with berries

[adw73uk]

Hi,

I'm looking for an evergreen plant that will provide colour and berries in winter.

It will need to thrive in well drained soil and partial shade (though it will get the evening sun) and is in a sheltered spot.

I currently have an orange berried pyracantha growing in the same flower bed and it is doing well so I may settle for the red variety but was hoping that I could find another plant to attract more wildlife.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Andrew

[Mary]

A plant that is 'partially' evergreen, (depends on the temperatures- they have fallen somewhat this winter), is Lonicera purpusii 'Winter Beauty'. It's a winter flowering honeysuckle. Small flowers Dec-March, fragrant, though the seed capsules aren't really berries. Blackcap will take both fruit and nectar from flowers. Can stand hard pruning in spring to keep at reasonable size. A lovely shrub to cheer you in winter!

[adw73uk]

A plant that is 'partially' evergreen, (depends on the temperatures- they have fallen somewhat this winter), is Lonicera purpusii 'Winter Beauty'. It's a winter flowering honeysuckle. Small flowers Dec-March, fragrant, though the seed capsules aren't really berries. Blackcap will take both fruit and nectar from flowers. Can stand hard pruning in spring to keep at reasonable size. A lovely shrub to cheer you in winter!


Thanks Mary, sounds ideal. Do you know when is a good time to plant?

[Isurus]

evergreen? berries? holly fits the bill? The important thing to note here is that there are male and female plants and if you want berries you need a female but you will need a male either in your garden or nearby. Also in a stroke of genius the names of hollies are all goofy so male named plants are often female (like golden king) and female named plants are often also female (like silver milkmaid). so always read the label.

[Mary]

Plant as soon as the weather warms up a bit, say beginning of next month, but not if the ground is very wet - not likely this year!

[d.steeley]

Hi,

I'm looking for an evergreen plant that will provide colour and berries in winter.

It will need to thrive in well drained soil and partial shade (though it will get the evening sun) and is in a sheltered spot.

I currently have an orange berried pyracantha growing in the same flower bed and it is doing well so I may settle for the red variety but was hoping that I could find another plant to attract more wildlife.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Andrew

Hi Andrew, not a native but I would consider Cotoneaster salicifolius, meets all your requirements and the masses of red berries are loved by birds such as Fielfares.

Dave

[Cathy H]

Hi Andrew,

On the ex-beeb forum we've all been talking about mahonias. I've just invested in one from B&Q. It's evergreen, prefers partial to full shade, flowers from October to March with a beautiful fragrance, and produces berries which I'm told the birds love. Seems to suit your requirements. Some of them can grow quite large but Alan Titchmarsh reckons that you can safely keep it trimmed to 6' x 6' for the larger varieties. One word of caution though, they are very jaggy so if you're near one, WEAR GLOVES and cover your arms/legs.

All the best, :t:

[willowa]

Why evergreen is it cover you are after??

Hawthorn is good for berries and wildlife. You could always grow an evergreen honeysuckle, clamatis or ivy through it.

[adw73uk]

Hi Andrew,

On the ex-beeb forum we've all been talking about mahonias. I've just invested in one from B&Q. It's evergreen, prefers partial to full shade, flowers from October to March with a beautiful fragrance, and produces berries which I'm told the birds love. Seems to suit your requirements. Some of them can grow quite large but Alan Titchmarsh reckons that you can safely keep it trimmed to 6' x 6' for the larger varieties. One word of caution though, they are very jaggy so if you're near one, WEAR GLOVES and cover your arms/legs.

All the best, :t:


Thanks - we have a mahonia in the front garden - it is a great plant and the birds love it. Problem is the wood pigeons and doves gorge themselves on it, perch on our TV ariel and drop PURPLE! droppings all over my decking! I can cope with the current mess - but don't want to add to it..........

I would recommend it to others though as long as you can cope with a bit of mess.

[adw73uk]

Why evergreen is it cover you are after??

Hawthorn is good for berries and wildlife. You could always grow an evergreen honeysuckle, clamatis or ivy through it.

Just like the colour in the winter.......... How big does hawthorn get? Would it cope with a honeysuckle climbing through it?

[Isurus]

If its colour in winter you're after how about Cornus sanguinea "midwinter fire" or "midwinter flame" see the bottom photo:
http://www.esveld.nl/htmldia/c/ex/cosmfi.htm

Its a cultivar of a native so you get all the benefits of that, plus a crop of berries for the birds and its bright orange/coral pink/red/yellow all at once so you can't lose for colour there!

This is one of my favourite plants and I use it a lot, we've underplanted an oak and sweet chestnut with a small group of them in our nuttery and they're just starting to take off and look gorgeous.

[Cathy H]

Oooh Andrew, purple poo, imagine that.

I hope the doves and pigeons round here don't find it then.

That's some picture you've conjured up now.

All the best :t:

[willowa]

Just like the colour in the winter.......... How big does hawthorn get? Would it cope with a honeysuckle climbing through it?


The Hawthorn grows to about 15ft. So should support a clamatis. I have two 10ft-12ft Bay trees that provide winter colour and shelter. The female produces berries, the blackbird love them. But you have to have one of each for pollination. How much space have you got?

[adw73uk]

How much space have you got?


Not much! I want to plant in a raised flower bed about 2 ft by 8ft. It has a fence behind. I've currently got a pyracantha in one corner and the rest is planted with small ferns. I want to replace a couple of ferns with something with berries.

[scorpio_witch]

Hi!

I remember reading somewhere, that birds generally do not like the yellow berries of Pyracantha; only the red ones. Perhaps a change of colour will help - you can but try.

Scorp

[Richard Bryce]

Hi!

I remember reading somewhere, that birds generally do not like the yellow berries of Pyracantha; only the red ones. Perhaps a change of colour will help - you can but try.

Scorp

Birds, being generally colour blind like most animals, distinguish red better than other colours, or so I read somewhere. Mind you, I've still got a garden full of red berries, whilst the black an brown sultanas and raisins I put out from time to time are soon devoured.

[Home Bird]

In the U.S. I would suggest a holly. Are those possible where you are?

[adw73uk]

Thanks to all for the advice.

I have a holly which has self seeded in the garden and I've been nurturing for a year or so now, I'll eventually use this in the garden somewhere. I've also planted some honeysuckle which is growing up a tree in the same area of the garden.

However, in the last couple of months a male black cap has been a regular visitor, a first in the 6 years I've been in this garden. Recently it has been gorging itself on the pyracantha berries, so in the hope it will tell it's mates, I've planted another!

Thanks!

Andrew