Fall Berries

Along with the chilly air, Autumn brings a spectacular array of berries, leaves and fruits, full of color, shades and textures.  I love the mixture of berries mingled with an assortment of shrubs, vines, and trees, creating a marvelous arrangement, an excellent way to welcome in the change of season. 

As I was driving, my eye was drawn to a Scarlet Firethorn growing in a vacant field, most likely the last bit of evidence of an old farm home.  This shrub had become intertwined with another, displaying a magnificent contrast of brilliant orange berries with florescent lime green leaves.  Scarlet Firethorn is a common shrub and is generally used for borders, due to its height. Typically, this shrub can be spotted in yards of older homes with outdated landscaping, patiently waiting for new owners. 

My FAVORITE shrub, currently, is the Black Lace Leaf Elderberry (Sambucus).   Within the last few years this shrub has increased in popularity and prevalence, mainly due to its unique black lacey leaves, making it an excellent accent shrub or focal point.  Throughout the spring season it produces large pink flowers that look amazing against the blackish purple leaves, whereas in the fall this shrub becomes accented with little black berries that are a great snack for the birds. The Elderberry shrubs are fairly hardy, grow rather quickly, incredibly versatile and its uses are endless.  I admit, I went a little overboard with Elderberry in my yard, thus leading to subtle hints from my husband that I should consider other shrubs for additional variety.

Below is a Black Lace Leaf in bloom, unfortunately not my own.

http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/3037/black-lace-elderberry.ph

Until now I have actually never paid much attention to the berries in my yard.  However, once fall made its entrance, I started to notice the numerous varieties of plants and shrubs that produce berries…they are everywhere.  Growing on my fence in my back yard is Virginia Creeper.  I know this vine can be somewhat abnoxious, as a lot of vines are, nevertheless, it serves as a wonderful cover for my not so attractive fence, and is stunning when the leaves turn bright red, creating a brilliant canvas for the little purple berries speckled throughout.

Check out these grapes my husband planted along our back fence, which was, in my opinion, a less than ideal location.  However, these grapes have thrived, growing upward into a tree, intertwining its deep purple fruit with bright red berries, what a wonderful partnership! 

Shrubs, vines and plants that produce berries have qualities that make them appealing for all landscapes by way of adding color to your late season garden, with the added bonus of each berry giving a little splash of zing for a finishing touch.