Mmmm.... berries... Not only are berries aromatic and delicious, they often add beauty and a sense of culture to landscaping in a special, unique way. We often think of berries - especially traditional blueberries and strawberries - as summer fruit, but there are a number of other types that can be planted in the fall that will add that special something to your landscaping that you've been looking for.

For example, there's the Bosenberry Rubus SPP. The Bosenberry, commonly known as the boysenberry, produces luscious berries that are large, soft, and juicy. The dark maroon color of the berries is a delightful shade. The nearly seedless, almost oblong fruit of the boysenberry carries all the flavor of a wild blackberry. These berries have a distinctive, tangy flavor with an aroma that is sure to please. You can eat the berries fresh or canned, in a pie or frozen, or make them into juice - any way they're served, the boysenberries are a special treat. You will find the Bosenberry to be a vigorous trailing vine that will fruit on the previous season's canes. It is hardy up to 14 degrees below 0 Fahrenheit.

Another fabulous fruit anyone would be wise to consider is the Bunchberry (Cornus Canadensis), which come in a 6 - 12 inch, 12 - 18 inch, 2 - 3 foot, or 3 - 4 foot size. Bunchberry is a deciduous ground cover, which means it will lose its leaves during the winter months. The bunchberry sports clusters of tiny, yellowish-green flowers surrounded by a tinge of snowy white that reach a size of about 1-1/2 inches and lovely red berries making this a lovely choice for those who would like to do some landscaping with a berry plant. The flowering time for the bunchberry is typically from May through July. The bunchberry is part of the dogwood (Cornaceae) family and thrives in a habitat of cool woods and mountain slopes.

One more berry plant to think about for your next landscaping job is the deer berry (Vaccinium Stamineum) bush. This is an airy, open shrub, often having multiple trunks. Some will grow as tall as 10-15 ft and spread in width to the same, but generally, the deer berry bush grows only to approximately 3-6 ft tall. Trunks of the deer berry are twisted or contorted and are covered in thin reddish-brown bark that peels and shreds. The leaves of this deciduous plant are egg-shaped, approximately 1-3 in long, and distinctively white coloring beneath. The flowers of the deer berry are distinctive as well, being bell-shaped. The cluster of yellow stamens of the flowers looks like little shaving brushes reaching beyond the petals of white. The flowers of the deer berry bush will bloom at approximately the same time that the leaves come in early in the spring. The berries are a lovely, pale-bluish to a purple reminiscent of royalty and are usually have a sweet-spicy taste, although some of the deer berry bushes will produce a sour or slightly bitter-tasting berry. They are relatively typical-looking berries, growing to about a 0.25-.5 inches in diameter with a number of small seeds. The berries can be harvested in late spring or during the summer months. The bushes' leaves will turn red or orange before falling during the late autumn.

No matter what beautiful, delicious, aroma-filled berry plant you choose, you are sure to enjoy the lovely flowering, fruit-bearing bushes, vines, and plants we have waiting for you!