Berry-producing shrubs

A lot of the gardening I do is for the birds, but they'll eat just about any berries out there, so I'm interested in shrubs that I can snack on too - that is, if the birds leave me any!

I planted Sambucus canadensis (American elderberry) this summer because I thought it would be neat to try, and I might even fight the birds for enough to make wine : )

I've looked into huckleberries a little bit, enough to see that the scientific names are critical when it comes to these plants! This helped a LOT: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2523/. Assuming I can find them, it looks like Gaylussacia baccata or G. brachycera would grow in my zone. Does anyone have experience with huckleberries, or know what would grow well in zone 7 (evergreen species preferred) ?

Well, that opens a can of worms - to distract the birds, mind you.

I'll throw down the gauntlet. You can consume any fruits of the voluptuous Viburnum clan. You will actually enjoy a good many of them. Others you might put in the "Yecchh!" category. The joy is in the journey...

Other species to start off with include most all of the rambunctious Rubus - the Raspberry and Blackberry family.

Can't help you on Vaccinium or Gaylussacia - them's mostly Ericaceae, which don't cotton to my calcareous digs.

Yes, I agree with VV, the joy is definitley in the journey. I'm growing Snowy Mesplius and Blackcap Raspberry for next year.

Plus, (about looking into purchasing another Vibernum) I was talking to some bugs about how far they'd go for a snack and they told me not to plant them too far apart cause there's a smorgasborg in Kentucky that holds their interest for quite some time. They also emphatically suggested to plant V. plicatum var. tomentosum 'Kern's Pink'...even though it's not in the nudum family and doesn't even adhere to the size restrictions I developed.

However Muddy, I did come up with a nice evergreen specimen for you to look into:
Common name: Bearberry, Foxberry, and Kinnikinic
Genus: Arctostaphylos
Species: uva-ursi

I haven't had luck w/ gaylussacia, arctostaphylos, mespilus or vaccinium around here. I've tried them all. As usual, I blame the heat, humidity, limestone ... anything other than my horticultural skills.

If my Mespilus fail to thrive, I'm gonna blame your limestone too Weerobin.

And I'm pretty sure you won't find any fruit on 'Kern's Pink', Mipii.

That's a selection of the sterile horticultural plant Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum - all fluff and no forage.

Dang VV...back to diligently researching...

Mipii, I took a look at Snowy Mesplius - it looks beautiful ! I want a tree-form Amelanchier, but so far have only seen shrub-form in my garden center.
I would recommend that you try Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Mariesii', except that it probably exceeds your size limits. It is beautiful and couldn't be easier to take care of, and it produces berries.
I thought about buying Arctostaphylos uva-ursi a while ago, but decided against it because it is marginal in my zone. Having just had 11 Gaultheria procumbens - also iffy in my zone - die slow deaths this past summer, I'm going to stick to plants that will take the 100 degree, almost 100 percent humidity weather we sometimes get here.

VV, I have 3 Viburnum dentatum, all seedlings I planted in the spring. They were supposed to be planted in our Homeowners' Association's woods, but no one wanted to dig the holes because the roots were really big, so I kept them. They're doing very well, and I'm going to give them lots of water and fertilizer to get them to grow as quickly as possible.
V. nudum 'Winterthur' is on my must-have list, and I'll look into the early-flowering Viburnums you mentioned.

I have blueberries (3 different species) and have grown raspberries and blackberries in the past. They did okay, even in part sun, but stopped producing after awhile, as I think tends to happen. I might squeeze some in now that I have more sun.

I'm really going to have to plot out my backyard, the only place I can grow deer candy, to make sure I have enough room! I think more grass is going to go bye-bye.

I think that if you are after a passionate pink paramour, maybe Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Molly Schroeder' is the ticket.

Rumor has it - she's fertile and fecund...

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/123440/

Muddy, how about American beautyberry?

I've thought about it, but I'm not sure how well the berry color would blend with the fall color of my other shrubs.

I've got classic northern upland forest condtions, with rubus and Vaccinium angustifolium common understory shrubs. They don't seem to produce much in the way of fruit, but I'm sure the birds are much more diligent in keeping track of this than I (me?). Dominant trees are Q. ellipsoidalis, P. strobus, and P. resinosa, but A. rubrum and P. serotina are also quite common. Unfortunately, the native cherry is badly afflicted with black knot in these parts, they never seem to make much of themselves. White oak is fairly common, with basswood much less so. On cool/moist sites I'll find Gaultheria procumbens and the very interesting Lycopodium (club moss). Oh, and one of my very favorites is Sweetfern (comptonia), which has wonderful fragrance.

/ˈfekənd,ˈfē-/ ...word for the week folks, and she's a good one;
1. producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile.
"a lush and fecund garden"

VV, Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Molly Schroeder' is the ticket! She would have been a serious contender if one so highly respected had not taken the time to suggest her...looking for seeds already...thanks.

Muddy what color theme do you have going for your fall shrubs? I loveGaultheria procumbens, they love acid soil and mine is slightly alkaline...I'd be worried about losing it the same way I lost a Pieris and a Heath.

Pseudo, never heard of Sweetfern before, I looked it up and loved it. How fussy is it regarding soil ph? White Oaks are a beautiful sight, one of my favorite large trees.

Mipii and SSGardener, I guess you could say I'm sticking to primary colors when it comes to shrubs, so that would rule out the unique color of the beautyberry fruit. Also, apparently one of the reasons the berries persist through winter is because the birds don't particularly like them and so leave them to last.

Pseudo, the birds might eat the berries when they're still a little green and not as noticeable; that's certainly the case in my yard. Thanks for mentioning that native cherry trees were affected by a blight; that's one I was considering after reading that a whopping 29 birds love the cherries. I don't see cherry trees growing around here, and there's probably a good reason for that.

I spent some time last night flipping through "Gardening for the Birds" (written by a Kentucky man, VV), and it was very helpful. For one, it confirmed that some of the shrubs and trees I want to add to my "suburban bird sanctuary" are great for birds: (more) Magnolias, American Euonymous, Amelanchier, Gaylussacia and (more) Viburnums. Equally important, I read that Juniperus virginiana apparently attracts grackles and starlings, which are not welcome in my yard even if they are birds, so that tips the scale in favor of a white Fir.

I've grown Heritage raspberry for years and there never seem to be any lost to birds.

I haven't had productive raspberries for a few years now but, come to think of it, the birds did leave me ripe ones. I never had many berries because the plants didn't get enough sun and deer ate the blossoms. I'll try them again.

Mipii,

Comptonia has a strong preferance for acid sands of low fertility. It likes the company of Jack Pine, which gives you a pretty good idea of this plants tolerance for crappy soils. It reminds me a bit of Myrica, but fruiting is not nearly as nice.

Don't know what but these are beautiful anf fecund

That first pic is just very cool. It's almost dripping with fecundity.

Luscious! Looks like one of the lovely female Ilex verticillata cultivars.

Fecundiful indeed, when you find out what they are please let us know. That first pic is very cool.

Pseudo, I've read they are notoriously difficult to transplant...buy three, you might get one to play nice. Drat, it's such a good looking plant...and fragrant too!

I doubt I can get any information on those berryful bushes. They are planted at the community college. I can take more pictures if desired.

Comptonia lives here in one park that I know of. On a slight slope at the edge of woods, pine, hickory, oak, soil looks very thin and sandy. Interesting look but does not sound like it would be happy in someone's garden bed.

Sally, thanks for all the info, one more piece...what's the name of the Community College? I've never seen Comptonia before, unless a hasty inspection mistook it for a fern.

To be honest, I've never seen Comptonia used as an ornamental. It's a colonizing plant, and I'm thinking it might be used to fill in a tough spot. I happen to have just such a spot and I'm surprised I haven't previously considered it. I've already had a couple of failures here (Diervilla and Cotoneaster), and Comptonia could be an interesting choice that just might work. I'll get it right one of these years.

Mipii that is Anne Arundel Comm College in Arnold MD

I can get a picture of comptonia though you won't see much this time if year at Elvaton Rec Area in Millersville. (millers of millersville No relation to me lol)

As always - take more pictures!

Agree with Muddy1 above - that's an Ilex verticillata, and I'm sure it's 'Winter Red'.

To a statement above: who could possibly want this in their garden...I mean, really.

VV- Is there an upright beauty berry? Purple Passion?

I've never seen an upright beauty. My beauty loses the battle with gravity.

This message was edited Dec 6, 2013 4:46 PM

Um, let's see, VV might possibly want a beauty berry, or 3, in his garden??

Are those several different species, possibly Callicarpa americana followed by 2 different non-native species ?

Muddy, you're getting really good at identification, good for you! Thanks to you and VV for the Ilex ID, don't have to call the Community College now.

VV, I'd like Beauty Berry in my garden, along with the person who owns the property where those photo's came from. I've got some seeds coming!

Sally, you're so accommodatingly generous...gee...thanks, I've already browsed as many Comptonia images I could find. A pseudo fern that smells great, I'm gonna have to Look into an acid garden.

Nothing so rewarding as a welcome berry-bearing plant - you almost never regret having one unless it's an invasive exotic species.

The images are:

**Callicarpa americana outplanted at Viburnum Valley.

**Callicarpa dichotoma in propagating beds at Viburnum Valley.

**Callicarpa americana at Hartman Arboretum, Evansville IN (www.harboretum.com)

Mipii: You can invite Grant and me to your garden anytime.

Thanks, Mipii, but I have to admit that the Ilex verticillata i.d. was easy for me because I recently bought I. verticillata 'Apollo' and 'Sparkleberry'. Sadly, my Sparkleberries only had perhaps 20 berries between the two of them, and I picked them all off because I had to spray for scale and disease and didn't want birds eating that. They bear no resemblance to Miss 'Winter Red'. I have higher hopes for next year.

VV, harping back to the Callicarpas: contestant number 3 has more berries and a different growth habit than number 1. Is it a cultivar?

First, let's get the hollies straight.

'Apollo' and 'Sparkleberry' are hybrids developed by the US National Arboretum.

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/sparkle.html
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/123788/

The parents are Ilex serrata and Ilex verticillata. Fruit on 'Sparkleberry' is smaller than many selections of Winterberry Holly - favoring the fruit size of the Japanese Winterberry Holly - but as abundant as most and persistent through winter months providing a wonderful colorful display.

'Winter Red' is a full-fledged hot-blooded southern damsel of the Ilex verticillata clan, and nothing sets her to, er, fecundity, like a true 'Southern Gentleman'. When the two are in sync, the display is downright scandalous.

All that said: you really can't go wrong with any of the deciduous hollies, and you will find greatest satisfaction when you have as many of them around as possible.

Edited to say: These are NOT images of a brothel.



This message was edited Dec 8, 2013 4:52 PM

It's showtime! Reading VV chat about plant fruiting is definitely a treat. This is good stuff. :)

I didn't even know there were such things as deciduous Hollies. Less leaves = more fruit maybe?

VV, if I invited you and Grant to visit my Garden, would you come for the 5 minute tour? Just a minute, I have to check with the visitor schedule to see when those tours are planned. Oh heck, of course, they're every 5 minutes.

What was the event called where everyone spread out their wares for inquiring minds?

Mipii: I think that's called a brothel...

Back to Muddy1:

The differences in the American Beautyberry plants above may be genetic, but much more likely is simply landscape management. The plant from the Valley had never been cut back, and was a relatively small specimen as well.

The plant at the Hartman Arboretum was an older specimen, had recently been rejuvenated, and likely receives more TLC than I provide. Those vigorous vertical - VV - stems and hefty fruit clusters are pretty indicative of a happy plant trying to regain its crown, and - it makes for quite the show.

A brothel! Lol... is that what they're calling really small gardens these days? Hmmm...5 minute turnaround...

Thanks for setting me straight too on the Callicarpa. I thought the differences were the other way around, the younger shrubs grow more vertical and age produces a more pendulous habit.

The berry load on the branches in that last picture= INSANE

But I wonder if this is even in the top ten of the hotel staff's list of "weird stuff people fill tables with for a convention"

DG touring standards typically include libations and breaking of bread.

I'll post Comptonia pix from the phone later. They look like little deciduous shrubs and not at all like a fern, structurally.

Thanks for all of the information, VV.
The plant at the arboretum really demonstrates the difference that cutting back shrubs can make; that is, if the shrub will grow back. I prefer the floppy shrubs, though.

My Ilex 'Sparkleberry' and I. 'Apollo' purchase was an impulse buy; I saw them at a garden center during one of my periodic strolls through the aisles. I wish I had done more research and purchased native cultivars - or perhaps none of the above given the relative attractiveness to deer. Ilex verticillata only gets a "B" on the A - C deer resistance scale.


This message was edited Dec 7, 2013 2:19 PM

I apparently misunderstood a question above. Mipii asked:

I sarcastically/mischievously replied:


I apologize for leaping to the smart aleck answer - well, at least partially.

I think I now understand that you were asking about all the pictures I posted of tables full of holly. Those are examples of the Holly Society of America tradition called the Sprig Contest, from several recent years of the Annual Meeting. Attendees are encouraged to submit sprigs - cut branches - of hollies that they grow. It is quite the to-do, replete with rules and occasional dust-ups. It is an honor to be selected to be a judge. See here for the full lowdown:

http://www.hollysocam.org/PDF/annualmeeting/HollySprigContest.pdf

As to sallyg and insanity...those "body builder" branches show the lengths to which the species can be profligate. And if you think THAT'S extreme, I could provide examples of the evergreen species.

The meetings definitely include libations and bread-breaking - it is on EVERY official agenda by which to set your clock. Cutting exchanges, a silent auction, tours of holly collections, gardens, a full-bore plant auction, etc. - as well as a handful of presentations and lectures - all combine to make the HSA Annual Meeting quite the occasion. We are heading toward the 67th Annual Meeting at Rutgers for three days in October 2014. Come one, come all.

We even find time have a little fun...