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 ALTHOUSE NURSERY NURSERY ALTHOUSE 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 28 FEBRUARY 2010 ▲ DIGGER CURT KPP 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 FEBRUARY 2010 ▲ DIGGER 29 ▲ BERRIED IN BEAUTY 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 Pleasant Hill, Ore. Hillsboro, Ore. N Vaccinium Aucuba japonica L EPP corymbosum ‘Sunshine ‘Gold Spot’. – We IG Blue’ – This cultivar think this is a really & A N with showy pink spring nice berry plant. We DRE flowers is well worth a don’t understand why A mention. I know we all it isn’t more popular. J. PI appreciate this plant for It has big red berries CK A the blueberries loved by that are very pretty RT 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 30 FEBRUARY 2010 ▲ DIGGER . d ts Reserve h g Ri ll © 2010 OHP, Inc.. A We’re always available Solutions for: Diseases | Insects | Mites | PGRs | Weeds 800-356-4647 | ohp.com 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.