Growing Wise : habitat gardening

Red, Red Berries

Elisabeth — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:23:00 GMT

When the days get darker and the temperature gets colder, the amount of color in the garden gradually diminishes. That's why I like plants and shrubs that have bright red fruit. Hollies are wonderful, but I am also very partial to some of the viburnums.

One of the best is Viburnum dilatatum 'Cardinal Candy'. The name says it all. The fruits are as red as the winged cardinals that brighten up the winters, even in the northern US. Those same cardinals, along with other birds, probably snack on those red fruits, though they are not appropriate for human consumption.

First described in the late eighteenth century, Viburnum dilatatum is native to Japan. 'Cardinal Candy' is a modern selection, bred for cold hardiness as well as good looks. In mid spring, the plant, which grows to be about five or six feet tall, covers itself with white flowerheads. The flowers eventually give way to the berries, which are borne in large clusters that persist through the winter.

'Cardinal Candy' is effective as a specimen (stand-alone) plant or in the middle to rear of a mixed border. You might even grow it in a very large pot if you have a container garden. The shrub loses its leaves in the winter, but that only makes it easier to appreciate the berries.

'Wentworth' Cranberry

Elisabeth — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:28:00 GMT

Many members of the large viburnum genus make great garden plants, often with scented blossoms, lovely decorative fruits and bright autumn color. One in particular, Viburnum trilobum 'Wentworth', the American cranberry bush, gives you even more--edible fruits.

While 'Wentworth' is not a true cranberry, which is a member of the genus Vaccinium, the tart fruits can be used in the same way--for sauces, jellies and compotes. If you pick the fruits before the first frost, they will need quite a bit of sugar to make them palatable. After the frost, the fruits sweeten somewhat. This is when the birds may go after them as well.

Even if you buy your cranberry sauce in the supermarket and let the birds get the fruits, the bush has a lot of desirable attributes. The white flowers, which bloom in the spring, will remind you a little of lacecap hydrangeas. The soft, lobed leaves turn a brilliant red in the fall, before departing for the season. The fruits, however, persist until you or the cardinals and blue jays eat them.

'Wentworth' is a quick grower, and requires a bit of space, as it reaches eight to ten feet tall at maturity and just as wide. As a team player in a mixed border or a bird and butterfly garden, though, it succeeds on all counts.