The Link Winter 2019/2020 The Link Dec-Jan 2020 v3 | Page 18

Creating Your Garden Paradise ĂƌƟĐůĞďLJ:ŽŶĂƚŚĂŶŝƐŚŽƉ Winter Berries A s the days get shorter and we head towards the festive season it’s easy to think that there is little of interest in the garden. However, the garden is still hard at work: the flowers that decorated many of the shrubs and trees in spring and summer have set seed and these have now ripened into berries, which are often very decorative. When selecting plants for the garden it’s important to consider what winter interest they will provide and this is often in the form of berries. They come in a range of colours from pure white, through pink to bright blues, reds and purples. It is a strategy that has been adopted by many groups and families of plants. Some shrubs can look a bit non-descript for large parts of the year, just a mass of green foliage for example. However in winter they truly come into their own and reward the patient gardener. There are some like Purple Beauty-berry (Callicarpa dichotoma) that will make people stop, quite literally, in their tracks. It is a gorgeous plant in winter, and has bright purple berries that flower on bare stems. Planted against a dark back drop or with plants that have a golden hue to their leaves it is truly stunning. Red berries are quite ubiquitous and for good reason. Red in nature is an indicator. Plants use it to attract birds to eat the berries. This is of mutual benefit to the plant and the bird, as in return the 18 birds disperse its seeds; often taking them far away from the parent plant and depositing them on new fertile ground. Eating berries in winter is vital for the survival of many of our bird species; not just for the energy they get from them, but also the nutrition. Birds require good and regular doses of carotenoids for good health. Carotenoids are responsible for the bright yellows and reds that we see in birds like goldfinches, but there is also some evidence that this also improves their immunity and increases vitality. This important compound is made by plants and along with anthocyanins is what makes berries red. The most common berries in the English countryside are the hips and the haws: rose hips and hawthorn berries to be more precise. These were once widely used by people in the winter months for jellies and syrups and often praised for the their potency in keeping away colds and other ills. Not surprising as they have a very high vitamin C content, and we probably benefited from all those carotenoids too. It should be noted that not all berries are edible by humans and some are toxic. Today we might grow hips and haws in our gardens more for the benefits of the birds and also for the pleasure of seeing such bright colours on a winter’s morning. Rose hips with a covering of frost crystals are one of the most beautiful sights in a winter garden. For spectacular hips grow varieties of roses such as Rosa rugosa, Rosa glauca, and the elegant urn shaped hips of Rosa moyesii. Some plants can add a touch of wonder to the garden with their fruit in winter. One such plant is Clerodendrum trichotomum (Harlequin Glorybower). This plant produces star shaped fruit with a tiny To advertise call 01684 833715 or email: [email protected]