Berried in Beauty

Home , Cotoneaster lacteus, Vaccinium ovatum

Berried in beauty

Many options are available for those who love the all-season beauty of berry-producing plants

By Elizabeth Petersen Garden designer Anne Marsh, In winter, when color in the garden co-owner of Marsh & Fear Garden AlthouseNursery is hard to come by, plants that decorate Solutions and current president of the themselves in berries take center stage. Association of Northwest Landscape These berry-bearing ornamentals give Designers, cited V. ovatum as a favor- gardens seasonal pizzazz that doubles ite that she uses widely in tough as indoor décor. They give resident conditions. birds and other wildlife sustenance “It is perfect for the parking strip through lean times, and some of these because it is easy to take care of and beauties even feed humans. drought tolerant,” she said. “Beautiful Shrubs, trees and groundcovers, with lavender, it takes sun and stays many of them natives, produce berries, compact with selected pruning (3-4 and Oregon growers have plenty of feet tall and wide) or takes shade and choices to offer for use on projects big stretches out to about 8-10 feet tall and and small. wide.” Milky cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lacteus, upper right) grows up to 12 feet tall and bears dense The small, black berries make good clusters of red fruit in the fall and winter. Evergreen huckleberry jam, pies or syrup, but they are also Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), above, The sources interviewed for this beloved by birds, especially cedar wax- is a low-growing, evergreen berry bush reaching about 6 inches in height. Its leaves are used to article all agreed on one plant as the wings in Marsh’s garden. flavor herbal tea as well as teaberry ice cream, hottest, berry-producing ornamental: Althouse Nursery, located in the a regional favorite in the south and east. Vaccinium ovatum, the evergreen Illinois River Valley of southern Oregon, huckleberry. focuses on growing native plants, many

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of which produce berries. Owners Graig and Barbara Delbol seek natives that “merit greater use in landscapes and function as a crossover between habi- tat and ornamental horticulture,” Graig said. Vaccinium ovatum is a winner in both areas. “We love that plant,” Graig is slower to stopped, we are going said. “It takes full sun in southern through Vaccinium ovatum faster than Oregon and offers visual interest all anything else, even at a higher price. year with red and pink new growth, Most growers have trouble keeping it in Hill Nursery has “lots of experience pink flowers and berries that are edible stock.” with Nandina,” lauded these plants for people and birds. It can be sheared Amy Daniel, co-owner of Pleasant for their year-round interest: beautiful as topiary or into a hedge as a substi- Hill Nursery, located south of Eugene, foliage, delicate flowers, fall color and tute for boxwood, and it makes a great Ore., described her nursery as a “grow- long-lasting clusters of red berries that foundation plant.” er of high quality landscape material in make great holiday displays. It and other natives are in high sizes from liners to field stock.” She For best berry production, she rec- demand. “The local market is more said that V. ovatum is “always being ommended ‘Harbor Belle’ and ‘Harbor progressive in their thinking than retail- spec’d for its rich combination of dark Dwarf,’ two of the shorter selections ers give them credit for,” Graig said. green foliage and blue berries. The that reach only about 18-24 inches. “Even Bi-Mart sees high demand for plant is versatile, growing well in the For taller choices, she recommended that plant.” garden or in a container. It attracts lots ‘Umpqua Chief,’ ‘Royal Princess,’ and Joel Grace of Chehalem Mountain of animals too.” ‘Compacta,’ all topping out at about Nursery in Hillsboro, Ore., also reported more than 5 feet. a “big increase in the demand for native Heavenly bamboo Designer Anne Marsh agreed. plants, including evergreen huckleberry, Another popular four-season orna- “Nandina cultivars are used extensively for their low maintenance.” mental that decks itself out with long- in the home garden for a variety of Vaccinium ovatum is “real, lasting red berries is heavenly bamboo design needs,” she said. She recom-

real popular,” he said. “Even during (Nandina spp.). ▲ 30 December, when demand for everything Amy Daniel, who said that Pleasant

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Picks It isn’t hard to get growers to talk about plants. The tough part is getting them to narrow down their list from the of favorites to just a handful. Here are some of the PProsros varieties our sources recommended: Amy Daniel Joel Gracel

Pleasant Hill Nursery Chehalem Mountain Nursery Gordo n Pleasant Hill, Ore. Hillsboro, Ore.

Vaccinium Aucuba japonica J. A n dre a & L epp ig corymbosum ‘Sunshine ‘Gold Spot’. – We Blue’ – This cultivar think this is a really with showy pink spring nice berry plant. We flowers is well worth a don’t understand why mention. I know we all it isn’t more popular. Pi ck a rt appreciate this plant for It has big red berries the blueberries loved by that are very pretty people, but visually, it’s fabulous year round, and noticeable. It’s more picked for the leaf, and the birds love the berries, too. What which has gold spots. ‘Gold Spot’ is adaptable makes it particularly interesting as a Vaccinium to shade and gets to be big – about an 8-foot is that it’s evergreen in the Northwest. It looks rounded shrub with age. wonderful in the landscape as a shorter hedge, Viburnum spp. – V. davidii is in high demand planted en masse or as a stand-alone plant. It from big landscape contractors for schools, is also a pretty plant year round in a container. hospitals and road projects. It is hard to keep Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) in stock, popular for its tough, evergreen – All species are good foliage, low stature ornamentals for dry and clusters of sites. They bloom best metallic blue fruit. The evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) and produce chains V. tinus ‘Spring is a favorite in the Pacific Northwest and or clusters of pink-red Bouquet’ develops elsewhere, because its berries are delicious and it flowers and little blue- metallic blue fruit is so versatile. It is drought tolerant and does well black fruit if sited in lots that is great in in sun or shade, offering visual interest all year of sun. arrangements. long with its leaf color, blooms and berries.

Anne Marsh Graig and Barbara Delbol mends them to her clients, many of Marsh & Fear Garden Solutions Althouse Nursery them do-it-yourselfers, as a great tough Cave Junction, Ore. Portland, Ore. plant to enhance the garden. The

European Wintergreen upright, taller variety ‘Royal Princess’ (Gaultheria procumbens) cranberry – While this is a an produces an especially heavy crop of (Viburnum opulus red berries, she said. ‘Compactum’) – This Eastern U.S. native, it bush maintains a does well in the Pacific According to Joel Grace of Northwest and serves compact form about Chehalem Mountain, N. domestica as a tough, 6 inch 5 feet tall and wide, tall groundcover in a produces the most ”dynamic” show of with pruning and woodland setting. Its produces beautiful red berries. The plants can be used as dark green, oval leaves provide a nice contrast berries that stand-alone stars or planted in rows or to the bell-shaped pink to white flowers. In the hold well. clumps, where they provide “lots of fall, bright red berries are a cheery accent. The Sambucus spp. – best part is the wintergreen flavor of the leaves good color year-round,” he said. Many cultivars are known for their gorgeous and berries. ‘Compacta’ produces plenty of foliage, but they also produce spectacular (Garrya elliptica and Garrya berries; ‘Harbor Dwarf’ stays low and blooms and loads of berries. I recommend S. Silktassel fremontii) – Both are Pacific Northwest natives. racemosa (red elderberry) ‘Sutherland Gold’ for spreads out, but Joel said that the ber- G. elliptica, with its striking golden ries are more hidden inside the plant; wavy-edged leaves, foliage and red is found at the coast ‘Plum Passion’ is an upright selection berries, and while G. fremontii, (about 4-5 feet tall and wide) with S. nigra (black with its glossy smooth- elderberry) unusual purple foliage that fruits up edged leaves, is the ‘Black Lace’ best when a pollinator is nearby. more inland variety. for exotic, In early spring, male tropical- plants produce long Sarcococca looking catkins which give the foliage and Marsh also raves about Sarcococca. plant its common name. In late summer/fall, purple-black “Fantastic: a great landscape plant with the female plants produce long strings of dark berries. For purple, grape-like fruits. Both varieties have many uses that is good in part to full maximum fruit tough, leathery leaves. Since it is an evergreen, shade,” she said. production, Garrya can make a great hedge. It does well in plant two Good for smaller sites, Sarcococca poor soils and is very drought resistant.

varieties. ▲ 32

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Hotline_Ad_2010.indd 1 2/11/10 3:17:26 PM ▲ Berried IN BEAUTY E l i z ab eth P eterse n

Monrovia markets paired male and female holly shrubs (Ilex spp.) under the Berri-Magic® brand to assure customers they will get berries. Shown here is the Royalty combo, comprised of Ilex × meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ PP 3517 and I. × m. ‘Blue Princess’ PP 3675.

provides year-round beauty with hand- with a redundant name: “sarcos” means Grace. It stays small – only about 1-2 some evergreen foliage. In spring, fruit and “coca” means berries. feet tall – and bears black berries. small white flowers produce intense “It looks more like boxwood than fragrance, but remain largely unseen, Deck the halls with holly typical holly with its narrow evergreen hidden amid the foliage. The many varieties of holly (Ilex leaves,” Grace said. Demand is also S. ruscifolia has red fruit and S. spp.) produce stunning shows of red good for ‘Compacta’ and ‘Convexa’ confusa has black fruit, Marsh said. S. berries that are synonymous with holi- Monrovia assures pollination and hookeriana makes a great groundcover, day decorating. Most need both male excellent fruit production of some hol- lower and wider than the other species. and female plants to make berries. lies by planting one male and one Even thought the flowers appear early, Marsh likes varieties of winterberry female in a single pot, said Nicholas the fruit persists for months and is still (I. verticillata). They produce “enor- Staddon, director of new plant introduc- available to decorate the holiday table. mous crops of rich red berries that tions. Sold under the registered name According to Stan Grace of create a big bang statement for a large Berri-Magic®, the Kids’ Holly combina- Chehalem Mountain Nursery, property,” she said. “They last all winter tion includes Ilex × meserveae ‘Blue Sarcococca is “among the earli- until consumed by the birds.” Girl’ and ‘Blue Boy.’ The slightly larger est bloomers, late January or early At Pleasant Hill Nursery, I. ‘Nellie Royalty Holly combination includes Ilex February, and the orange blossom fra- Stevens’ is “one of the top runners with × meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ and ‘Blue grance permeates the whole neighbor- wide usage,” Daniel said. It is a heavy Princess.’ These hardy, evergreen hollies hood.” The adaptable plant makes a producer of berries that bring birds and have glossy, blue-green leaves with pur- “good, compact, low hedge to about 6 wildlife to the garden. ple stems, and “the combinations have feet. It is popular with residential cus- “(It has) gorgeous, dark green, proven very successful,” Staddon said. tomers, so we always keep it on hand glossy leaves and is well-mannered,” A new variegated holly, Santa’s and we sell quite a bit.” she said. “It bears without a pollina- Delight®, was discovered by Jim S. ruscifolia and S. confusa are “vir- tor and has many uses, as a topiary, a Zampini in Ohio, where winters are tually identical” evergreen shrubs that focal point or a hedge without much “beastly,” Staddon said. “(It is) a zone get around 6 feet over time and can be pruning.” hardier than regular English holly. It trained into an espalier, he added. The dwarf Japanese holly, I. cre- survived two consecutive brutal win- Both develop drupes that are nata ‘Helleri’ is frequently specified on ters.” Available in limited numbers, important enough to supply the genus commercial landscape jobs, said Joel plants boast deep blue-green foliage

32 MARCH 2010 ▲ DIGGER with creamy borders and a great show of berries. Red Beauty® holly (Ilex × ‘Rutzan’), though not exclusive to Monrovia, is “one of the great hollies of our time,” said Staddon. Bred from three species roll ad digger.qxp 12/14/2009 9:56 AM Page 1 by famed plant breeder Dr. Elwin Orton of Rutgers University, the dwarf plant (8 feet tall and 4 feet wide) boasts nearly Bendable, Continuous Roll, Twin-Wall perfect form, a “neat conical shape 4’ and 6’ without shearing.” It has dense, finely wide rolls Greenhouse Covering textured, dark green, glossy foliage and SolexxTM out-performs film and polycarbonate produces abundant bright red fruit with • Better insulation “exceptionally high winter hardiness.” • No shadows or burning with diffused light Up to • Easily bends around corners and over peaks Cotoneaster 4’ X 900’ • Weathers hail and ice storms without bruising, scratching or tearing Cotoneaster cultivars are reliable rolls • Costs less than polycarbonate without replacement hassles of film producers of berries, but “some are Call for a FREE Sample overused,” said Marsh. She “loves” the 1-800-825-1925 ext. 608 upright C. lacteus, an evergreen shrub with a graceful habit that makes a 8-year UV www.farmwholesaleag.com “wonderful background plant or infor- warranty! mal hedge.” Easy to grow with few demands, it bears heavy crops of red berries that persist well into winter. “Berry producing plants are often required for building projects,” said Grace. Cotoneaster dammerii, for instance, is a low growing spreader that is mainly used on hillsides or in islands as a low groundcover to cover large areas. Although Chehalem Mountain Nursery grows it by the thousands, “there hasn’t been as big a demand for it recently, but I expect it to come back into favor,” Grace said. C. dammerii is used frequently in commercial projects, because it is easy to keep in bounds and it can be “hacked back.” ‘Lowfast’ has pink-red berries; ‘Coral Beauty’ berries have a lavender hue, and the berries don’t stay for as long. Amy Daniel recommends Cotoneaster microphylla and C. m. ‘Thymifolia’. Both are “charming, sweet low plants with tiny, glossy leaves and heavy berry production. They make an excellent mid-height groundcover and are good for bonsai.”

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MARCH 2010 ▲ DIGGER 33 ▲ Berried IN BEAUTY

Snowberry migrating birds and making long-lasting atively late (September-December) ber- For white berries, Delbol (of floral arrangements. ries, it “makes a great centerpiece in the Althouse Nursery) recommends snow- Scarlet Pearl® produces large, dark back garden or as a vertical accent near berry (Symphoricarpos). “(It’s) a great pink fruit that is great for “spicing a stream or pond” with pretty summer little plant, especially for dryland situa- up northern native plant landscapes blooms, she said. It can be pruned and tions and bank stabilization,” he said. “It and wild garden woodlands.” Bright shaped to keep it dense and encourage takes an unbelievable amount of abuse Fantasy® puts on a large crop of pure fruit coverage over the whole. and has showy white berries.” white fruit in fall. The berries are an extraordinary Monrovia offers an exclusive series “These plants are crucial for wildlife color and make a nice foil for blue foli- of compact (3-5 feet) improved snow- and an excellent choice for harvesting age, such as that of spruce selections berry selections that were bred in the boughs in autumn and winter to adorn and red foliage, like that of Cordyline Netherlands in a cut flower breeding the table,” Staddon said. spp. and Acer palmatum ‘Moonfire.’ program. On the market for about four years, these new plants should be sited Callicarpa ‘Profusion’ Top-notch natives where they can be seen from indoors, Marsh, the designer, names the Althouse Nursery supplies con- Staddon said. “underutilized” Callicarpa ‘Profusion’ tractors with large quantities of native Charming Fantasy® produces an as a personal berry-producing favorite. plants, mostly seedling liners, for envi- abundant crop of large white berries This upright plant with electric purple ronmental, wetlands and restoration that take on shell pink blush. The strik- fruit is a desirable addition to the land- projects. “The typical job requires thou- ing fruit decorates the winter scene scape, she said. sands of native plants,” Graig said. The on leafless stems, providing food for Even though birds compete for rel- nursery also supplies retail landscape nurseries, designers and garden centers in southern Oregon with native plants. curt k i pp curt “Some natives are more showy than others and respond well to cultural practices that make them great garden plants,” Graig said. He identified madrone (Arbutus menziesii) as a very showy, broadleaf evergreen native that supports local populations of birds near the nursery. “Flocks of robins go nuts for the berries and feast on them from late October through early December, putting on an unbelievable show,” he said. Since madrone trees need room and are very particular about good drainage and infrequent waterings, they are not suitable for small gardens. But in the right setting, the tree produces beautiful bark, foliage and flowers as well as clusters of bright red-orange, rough-coated berries that make great ornaments “until the birds get them.” Althouse propagates from seed, so the owners have to outsmart the birds, collecting seed from local trees and back roads, or purchasing seed from reputable sources. Crategus douglasii (black haw- thorn) is a beneficial native that pro- The beautyberry shrub (Callicarpa spp.) is noted for its incredible purple berry clusters that stick around duces great fall color and loads of in winter long after the leaves are gone. persistent red-to-black berries. Although

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Heavenly bamboo (Nandina spp.) is a popular four- season shrub with gorgeous reddish-green leaves, delicate flowers and abundant berries when two shrubs are placed near each other for pollination.

“a little brushy for the landscape, it can be good for gardens if pruned and it is great for wildlife, wetlands and [mitiga- tion of ] erosion.” Another good haw- thorn for berry production, Crataegus phaenopyrum ‘Lustre’ flowers late and is popular in urban landscapes as an ornamental and wildlife tree. It produces huge crops of orange-red fruits that feed wildlife all winter.

Chokecherry Marsh recommends chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), an “underused” deciduous plant with berries that stand out after the foliage is gone. Plants are hard to find and people don’t know about them, but it is a great vertical accent plant (6-8 feet tall) with a pretty spring bloom, bright red fall color and clusters of red berries that persist well into winter. Delbol also recommends the plant, but advised that once the fruit ripens, it is eaten up by wildlife and gone by the end of October. “Our motto is, if you

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MARCH 2010 ▲ DIGGER 35 ▲ Berried IN BEAUTY Quality Container Grown • Ornamental Grasses • Hardy Perennials • Broadleaf and Conifers E l i z ab eth

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Convexa Japanese holly (Ilex crenata ‘Convexa’), so named because of its convex leaves, is often used as an alternative to the boxwood hedge because it grows more rapidly and is more durable.

see seed (of chokecherry), pick it,” he said. “Actually, the motto applies to all plants that we collect from.”

Serviceberry Marsh also suggested serviceberry (Amelanchier × grandiflora), which can ROOTING COMPOUND be pruned as a small tree (10-12 feet) Soluble Concentrate or grown as a large, multi-stemmed shrub. ‘Autumn Brilliance’ is a “great landscape feature at the corner of Continued excellence from our family owned company for over 30 years a deck. It produces fabulous white blooms early in the season followed by edible blue berries that birds love and WOOD’S ROOTING COMPOUND 3 SIZES! Our unique formula uses only the highest quality devour quickly in May and June.” In ingredients which results in instant absorption of fall, the blue-green foliage turns “bril- both IBA & NAA to your cuttings. liant” orange-red. Every source mentioned Mahonia 3 Convenient Sizes: as a great berry plant. There will be a 4 oz. / Pint / Gallon feature article extolling the virtues of that wonderful genus in the July, 2010, Call Today For A Distributor Near You issue of Digger.

503-678-1216 Elizabeth Petersen writes for gardeners and garden businesses, coaches students P.O. Box 327 and writers, and tends a Wilsonville, OR 97070 one-acre garden in West Linn, Ore. www.earthscienceproducts.com She can be reached at [email protected].

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