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Winter colour is synonymous with shrubs in berry. If you grow them, the birds will bless you with their presence — for not much is available as a food source to tide them through the colder seasons.
Walking around Stellenbosch last week, I came across a boundary hedge of spiky leafed holly which was studded with shiny red berries — just as you see on a Christmas card.
Some of the berries had fallen on the pavement and had begun propagating themselves. It was quite tempting not to lift one of these little plants from the soil to bring home for my own garden.
Holly is not seen often in the gardens here in the Eastern Cape. More popular are the firethorn or pyracantha as well as its “cousin”, the red berried cotoneaster.
They are related but rather than having serrated leaf margins and thorns as pyracantha do, cotoneaster has small elongated leaves with furry undersides with the growth of their branches fairly pendulous.
They are popular for use in flower arrangements and grown in the garden as an accent plant or plant of interest.
Pyracantha is truly a plant for all seasons. In spring and early autumn, it bears clusters of tiny white flowers which then turn into orange, red or yellow berries as the season cools.
Birds love the berries of both pyracantha and cotoneaster. Some birds feed on the fermented berry fruit of pyracantha and become intoxicated afterwards.
There is much told in the name of pyracantha too. This species’ name means “firethorn” and comes from the word “pyr” which in Greek means fire, red or fiery red and “akanthos” means ‘thorn’.
That it means fire lets us know that the berries of the plant by their colour bring warmth to the winter landscape.
The “thorny” growth makes the plant ideal for growing as a spiky, impenetrable hedge to keep intruders out. Or it may be grown singly as a specimen plant.
My first recollection of pyracantha was as a child. The earliest memories of the pyracantha are of it growing as a hedge along the Dunbar Road boundary of Stirling Primary School.
The orange berried hedge’s fruit initially presented as a delight to the neighbourhood gang of children who soon found it was not as tasty as it looked — and best left for the birds.
The hedge has long since been replaced with a fibrecrete wall (which has aged badly and is deteriorating).
A hedge of pyracantha serves as a lovely example of what might be installed instead. The plant will grow in full sun to semi shade areas.
First, set stakes in each end of the length of area where you plan to establish the hedge. Tie string between the two stakes to aid you in planting the hedge in a straight line. If the hedge is to be quite lengthy, place the stakes at about 1.5m intervals.
Dig a trench to a spade’s depth removing the soil. Keep the spade blade on the inside of the line. Place the soil you have removed on the other side of the line. Enrich the soil at the bottom of the trench with organic matter. Fill the trench with water, allowing it to drain away.
Then add a handful of bone meal to correspond with the needs of each plant. Replace the soil in the trench and water it in well. Allow it to settle for a couple of weeks before you begin planting.
Plant the separate pyracantha plants 50cm apart. Water them well and regularly until they have established themselves in the soil.
Nandina domestica (Chinese sacred bamboo) is another red berried plant which has interesting foliage too. The fine evergreen leaves have a tropical look. They are shiny green in summer but in winter they adopt red and burgundy tones.
Nandina provides a low semi screen and is useful in dividing sections of the garden. I have seen it grown successfully on the edge of an outdoor seating area where it semi-screens off the living area from the rest of the garden.
Nandina prefers moist, well drained soil that is slightly acidic in the semi shade of a sheltered spot. If it is grown in deep shade, the foliage will not “colour up” well. It is fairly pest- and disease-free. The plant does not need pruning.
Another ornamental shrub that hails from Mexico which provides a show every season is Duranta erecta. In autumn it has necklace-like strings of pale orange berries. At the moment it is covered in clusters of small sky blue flowers falling from its pendulous branches.
It is worthwhile planting for its ease of growth and the impact it has on a garden scheme. I have grown it beside a Duranta “gold mine” which is lower growing and offers a striking contrast with its yellow edged green foliage (which has the effect of looking almost lime green). Both have the same requirements of sun, soil and water so together they are in a ‘happy’ marriage.
• In the Garden is written by feature writer, garden enthusiast and former teacher Julia Smith, who has returned home to live in Chintsa East. The column looks to inform both novice and accomplished gardeners on how to make the most of their green patches.
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