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It can be difficult to introduce colour into the garden in the winter months. Flowers are pretty but if gardeners are looking for something festive, then berries might be a better choice. Managing Director of Hopes Grove Nurseries, Morris Hankinson, suggested choosing evergreen shrubs with berries.
Evergreen Shrubs keep on giving colour and height all year round and look “immaculate” all year.
Morris suggesting choosing ones with colourful berries or fruits such as Pyracantha or the Strawberry Tree, Arbutus unedo “compacta” among others.
Pyracanthas
Pyracanthas are low maintenance but look beautiful at this time of year.
Despite their fruitful berries, the plant is not popular with birds until January or February which is good news if you have one in your garden.
Morris explained: “Pyracanthas are not near the top of the list for birds.
“They won’t take the berries until maybe January or February which means you get a longer show.
“The plant is properly coming into its own now.
“The berries have coloured up. They start off green and then they go a yellowy colour and then they finally go to the colour the plant is.
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“It’s normally red, orange or yellow.
“They’ve got their full colour on at the moment and they really do stand out – they’re lovely.”
Pyracanthas can be planted as a shrub, trained against a wall or grown as a hedge.
Morris added: “It’s a shrub of many purposes.
“All you do with that is give it a trim in the spring when all the berries are gone.”
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The shrub will flower in May or June and then the berries will appear the following year.
The Strawberry tree
Morris described the plant as a “bit of an enigma”.
The plant has little white flowers and then a year later produces bristly red-coloured fruits.
“Right next to them is another flush of flowers which are the fruits for the year after,” Morris said.
Once the plant is established, it will produce fruit and flowers at the same time, making for a pretty display.
“It has really attractive bark as well as it gets older,” Morris added.
The “compacta” variety is good for both small and big gardens, according to Morris.
Hopes Grove Nurseries was established 27 years ago and grows approximately one million hedge plants in 50 acres of land in Tenterden, Kent.
The nurseries also regularly supply plants for the ITV show Love Your Garden.
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