Fall is the Berries.

Many people associate fall with beautiful foliage. Here in New England we are certainly blessed with leaves that run the gamut from yellow to peach to orange to red to burgundy to…well, you get the idea. A road trip to “leaf peep” reveals one breathtaking vista after another.  But I wonder, in our quest to find the most quintessential fall scene if we are overlooking something that might be right under our noses.

Berries.

Autumn is a wonderful time to appreciate berries as shrubs shed their leaves and allow the fruits of their labors to take center stage. Some of my favorites for great berries are the Viburnums. In fact, I believe no garden should be without a Viburnum. If you would like to learn more (and figure out which one is best for your garden) I highly recommend Michael Dirr’s book, Viburnums.

I currently have three viburnums in my garden. I love orange and Viburnum dilatatum ‘Tandoori Orange’ from Proven Winners is a showstopper with its bright orange berries. Viburnum dilatatum ‘Cardinal Candy’, also from Proven Winners, has the more typical red berries associated with the plant. I think my favorite is Viburnum dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge’ with creamy peachy/yellow berries; I had seen it years ago at an arboretum and finally found one which is now very much at home in my garden. 

Callicarpa, or Beautyberry, is another gorgeous fall shrub. Purple berries line the stems and are irresistible to birds. And speaking of birds, I once asked Joann Vieira, the Director of Horticulture at The Trustees of Reservations, what she would recommend as the best plant to attract birds and she said ilex verticillata, or winterberry holly; I have been working on a bird garden on my property and after talking with Joann I went right out and purchased several.