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We are looking for shrubs which don't grow very big, flower in the summer and produce berries in the winter. Oh any preferrably evergreen - any suggestions?
- 21 Feb, 2010
Answers
For an acid to neutral soil that doesn't dry out, you could grow gaultheria mucronata. You will need one male plant to get berries on the females. Rhodotypos scandens isn't evergreen but flowers for a long period and has black berries through the winter, it gets to five feet
21 Feb, 2010
There are various varieties of Cistus that wouldl fit the bill....such as Cistus 'Silver Pink' which doesn't get much over 2ft tall. Cistus purpureus gets to about 4 or 5 foot and has beautiful large pick flowers with a yellow center and purple splodges, and there's one with white flowers too. I believe some varieties of Weigela don't get very big - such as the ones with redish coloured leaves. The Cistus are evergreen, but none of these produce berries. Spritz's suggestion of Pyracantha is good - you can get some small mound-forming varieties, but do make sure you get the right variety, as others are tall straggling things.
21 Feb, 2010
You could try Photinia Fraseri 'Little Red Robin' if you would forego the berries.
22 Feb, 2010
Does it flower, Wagger? Mine hasn't???
22 Feb, 2010
Not that I know of, Spritz but the new foliage is as bright as any flower, lol.
22 Feb, 2010
True - so I can mention my new one, then - Photinia fraseri 'Pink Marble'. It has lovely pink, green and cream evergreen leaves....
22 Feb, 2010
If we're going down the route of coloured foliage, then there are some nice Berberis too....and they have berries in winter I think? Not evergreen tho.
What about the strawberry tree Arbus unedo = evergreen, with berries....flowers are a bit dull tho. And it needs acid soil.
23 Feb, 2010
The guest will have to join GOY so that he/she can tell us if any of the suggestions are what he/she was after!
24 Feb, 2010
I can only come up with Stranvaesia, or Pyracantha - but you'd need to prune the Pyracantha to the size you want to keep it.
21 Feb, 2010