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Georgia Gardener

Berry producing trees and large shrubs in Ga?

13 years ago

Looking to fill in a field to act as a windbreak / privacy screening while providing some berries for wildlife and if the economy keeps on tanking to feed me. Will the trees raised in the north sold by SLN be durable in the Georgia heat?

Buffaloberry Sheperdia Argentea.

Elderberry

Hawthorn

Nannyberry (wild raisin). Vibernum lentago

Nero chokeberry. Aronia melanocarpa

Mulberry

Siberian pea shrub. Caragana arborscens

These will be planted and watered some. But they wont be on irrigation.

Comments (6)

Iris GW
13 years ago
Instead of Viburnum lentago, consider the more common Georgia natives: Viburnum nudum, Viburnum acerifolium, Viburnum prunifolium, Viburnum rufidulum, Viburnum dentatum.

Siberian pea shrub? I wouldn't.

Consider Wax myrtle (Morella/Myrica cerifera). Good for screening.

Elderberry, Aronia and Hawthorn are good. I've heard Mulberry is good for wildlife. Serviceberry is also good for birds (Amelanchier). Another popular one is Spicebush (Lindera benzoin).

I don't know about SLN - who is that? How far north?
girlgroupgirl
13 years ago
For food, you may like to try growing blueberries. They grow very large in the South. I do not know what "SLN" is, but I recommend buying plants here. If you live in North Georgia try Johnson's fruit. They are not cheap, but they are good and you will have good plants that will grow and feed you well.
Nanking Cherry (I have bought some on eBay very inexpensively as tiny plants, they grow fairly quickly).
Elderberry
Aronia: try Viking, it's 6' tall where as nero is only 4' tall
Serviceberry
mulberry are good however they are weedy as all get out and you could end up with a forest that you and your neighbors do not want.
Chicksaw and American plums will do you very well
Flowering quince shrubs - they can get to 10' tall and will fruit
Goumi
Hazelnuts
Washington and Cockspur Hawthorn (although my washington hawthorn died very quickly as bugs LOVED it)
pineapple guava (depending on where you live)
Pomegranite (depending on where you live)
If you are in the N. GA mountains I think you could probably do very fine with currant bushes too

GGG
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ejr: You probably realize this (& it's most excellent Weston is guaranteeing to replace those that don't survive), but you are planting quite late. Even here on the coast in Lynn we are now getting freezes. The ideal time to plant in the autumn is in September, which gives the roots a chance to develop while the top is slowing down and preparing for winter. In any case, water, water, water, water, water! Mulch, mulch, mulch, mulch, mulch! The watering will help give the plants a bit of water in their tissues that they will need for the winter, and the mulch will help stabilize soil temperatures underneath them. That fights "heaving" which can happen when you plant late, for the soil in the planting hole will have different physical characteristics than the surrounding soil, and so as the ground freezes and thaws during the winter days the planting hole soil can get shoved up above the rest of the soil (hence "heaving"). That rips the roots of the plant out of place and sets them back very badly (or can even kill them). Those are the two usual pieces of advice for fall planting anyway, but they will matter even more for you. Make sure to carefully note whatever advice Weston offers you and follow it well. Doing so will help ensure that they honor their guarantee. Not following the supplier's advice in such a situation can lead to the warranty becoming void. (Check to see if there are any disclaimers in the guarantee. Don't be surprised if there are.)
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There's no scale in the pictures so I may be way off but I would suggest a Ligustrum species.
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brandon7 TN_zone7
13 years ago
SLN is likely St. Lawrence Nurseries ( http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/ ). That company has an excellent reputation/rating on Garden Watchdog.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sources for Fruit Trees and Plants
brandon7 TN_zone7
13 years ago
"mulberry are good however they are weedy as all get out and you could end up with a forest that you and your neighbors do not want."

That depends on what type of mulberry we're talking about. Some should be fine and not become a problem. You definitely would want to stay away from Morus alba.

Here is a link that might be useful: GA-EPPC Invasive Plant List
ryker-lakes
Original Author
13 years ago
Big thanks for the help.
lucky_p
13 years ago
SLN's mulberry(I'm remembering 'Northrup' or some such variety name) is a Russian/Tatarian-type M.alba - don't bother; any GA native M.rubra will be much better - as would 'quality' M.alba selections, like Pakistan, Shangri-La, etc.

Hawthorn? If you're going to plant a hawthorn for fruit production, I'd be opting for a a good Southern mayhaw selection or two or three.

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