Your berried treasures

Plenty of berries in autumn means a hard winter ahead.

That, at least, is one old wive's tale.

If it's true, I am going to buy a new set of thermal underwear and invest in a hot-water bottle because everywhere you look, the trees and shrubs are weighed down with hips and haws and berries.

The birds and small beasts of the field could feed themselves silly on all the fruit that's on offer, but for some reason, they appear to be very choosy about their diets.

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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 mountain ash, 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 a pleasant thought that it's quite possible to grow plants which will also give you, the gardener, bright spots throughout the darkest months.

So, plant a cotoneaster or a mountain ash by all means, but when you've got over your moment of charity, look at what the birds leave – and plant them.

Not all, of course, because some aren't exactly best suited to the average garden, but there are some which will easily adapt to most soils and situations. Others will just take over, so choose with care.

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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 pyracanthas (firethorns).

Stranvaesia? Now there's a name you don't hear very often. And it's a shrub that you don't see very often because if you haven't got plenty of space, you'll do best to avoid it. It grows tall and abundant, produces white flowers in May and lots of red berries in autumn. It will grow in most soils and although it likes sun, it will put up with shade.

So, if you want a high, evergreen, flowering, berried hedge, then Stranvaesia could be the answer.

The Snowberry (Symphoricarpos) is another grow-anywhere berry-bearer, but it's deciduous. It's just as rampant as Stranvaesia but produces white berries. It will tolerate a good pruning.

And then there's the Sea Buckthorn, Hippophae.

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Ideal as a windbreak in coastal areas, it doesn't mind where it grows, and its berries are so bitter that birds tend to give them a wide berth, so they stay on the shrub from autumn through till the following spring.

Again, if you have space and want a hedge that's colourful, spiny, and can put up with a close encounter with a pair of shears, then it's worth considering.

For something way smaller and far more accommodating, there's always the old favourite, Skimmia, a lovely little shrub rich in berries.

And then there's Pernettya, the prickly heath, with berries like pearls.

It may stretch to reach three feet in height. Just remember that it's a bit fussy about what it grows in – it needs acidic soil.

YP MAG 20/11/10