Topic: berries

[tim]

Lousy photo, but this is why I love Thorn & Cotoneaster. = Tim

[Kerry]

agree Tim. (berries, i mean, not the 'lousy photo'!) astounded by the amount of berries on one of my pyracanthas this year.

[Mimi]

Fabulous colour Tim.. :)

[Palustris]

I like these Rowans

[ACE]

Due to global warming and last summers climate, this should be a great year for berries. Just as it was one of the best for fruit in the orchard. Enjoy it while you can.

[aquilegia]

Tim and Eric - gorgeous berries! A Rowan is on my wishlist when I get my bigger garden.

My two tiny hollies (about 1ft tall) are smothered in berries. I must get a picture before the birds eat them all! (I still have no idea where the male plant is!)

[Muddy_Boots]

Lovely photos!

Berries fantastic this year but, the holly tree just outside where I take my lunch break was loaded two weeks ago.  The, whoops, forgot, birds! have been very busy in the meantime because they have nearly stripped it!  Perhaps they agree with the weather men that it's going to be a hard winter this year!

Not going to the bookies though, got a feeling will be weak and feable as usual!  

Perhaps we could start our own predictions for winter temperatures!

[Garden Manager]

Just like to make one thing clear:

Loads of berries IS NOT a sign of a bad winter. How the h*** does the plant know what the winter is going to be like. No it just the result of the good summer of 2003. I am sure otheres can explain the science of it better than i can.

Great pictures by the way tim. I like berries in winter too. We have a cotoneaster horizontalis under our lounge window, and some pyracantha in the garden proper. Like to have more to help our feathered friends in the winter though.

What would be a good meduim sized ornamental shrub whose berries are popular with the birds?

[Steven]

I have 3 ornamental elders called 'Black beauty'.

You've probably guessed by the name that the foliage is black,but the flowers in summer are pinky/purple and has black berries later on-which the birdies love!

They grow pretty quick and should reach 6ft within 3 years,but need pruning every spring so they dont get out of hand once they've achieved your desired height.They prefer full sun as this brings out their best and shade makes them turn a sort of purpley colour.

ps.The berries are poisonous to us humans and the sap is also a skin irritant!

[Muddy_Boots]

Richard, if you have time. could you do a little more research on the subject.  I only have experience to go on.  I have always found that trees and shrubs which bear bird yummy berries often have preceded a hard winter.

I know we have lots of myths and sayings about weather but I really would like to know about this one.  It sounds extremely silly, I know, but I do get the feeling that the early part of 2005 is going to produce more severe weather than we have been used to in the past few years.  Why, you may ask?  My bodies' reaction I say, which is why I say it sounds silly!

Look forward to hearing your thoughts or investigations!

[Garden Manager]

Muddyboots: I dont know where the origin of the 'myth' about berries and hard winters comes from, but i cant see how plants know the future weather.
It is true this year is a good one for berries and the most logical explanation for a 'scientific' gardener is that it is the result of 2003's hot summer - a nice long spell in which 'ripened' that years growth and produced good fruiting wood.

It is possible the myth came about by some people recognising a pattern in the weather and seasons. it could be that a long hot summer naturaly leads about 18 months later to a bad/cold winter and as a result plants are somehow 'in tune' with this.

I have only one example of this, in the late 1970's when I was born. 1976 (as i understand it) was a long hot and dry summer. Then about 18 months later (winter 1977/8) there came a bad winter, one of heavy snows, at least here in southern england.

I may have got this totaly wrong, however early 2005 fit in with this pattern.

This is the only explanation i have. I welcome any comments on this