Hi: I've not been impressed with the look of viburnums in online pics; might have to rethink them. I have thought about evergreen Rhododendrons and might use some. Our soil pH is fairly close to neutral, as I recall. I don't want to completely hide the fence; that type of fence needs patching up from time to time, and I'm pretty good-sized; trying to crawl through a dense hedge would be a but much. I don't mind seeing some fence here and there; the shrubs through break it up & distract the eye from it. We have a septic tank & leach field the side of which extends out maybe to that last Euonymus bush (and then runs across the yard, not long-ways); I don't want things that get way high, since I figure their rooting systems will be more elaborate. Since the fence is about 5'4" tall, a shrub or small tree needing be very tall, and since many shrubs are about as wide as tall, I'm leery of getting big stuff. Basically, I like planting shrubs 2 or 3 feet from the fence; I don't want to have to plant 5 or 6' out from the fence, and take up a lot of yard space. The shrub row will also look strange if some shrubs are 4 - 6' tall, and a couple are 20' holly trees, for example. Hence my preference for a pyramidal short holly, rather than a round bush (plus I like the pyramidal look better). The Emerald Green Arborvitae get 12 - 14' tall, they say, but are there for a reason; kind of like I'm holding my hand up to block the view of that dog kennel. Richard.

Thanks for the suggestions. I forgot to mention the berries were spherical and always shiny, even when black, so that rules out both Capsicum & Viburnum species shown. I think I would have remembered if the berries were purple at one point, too, so that mostly rules out Capsicum. I did find a pic of (supposedly) Solanum nigrum online that had red berries, though there were conflicting captions on the photo. Maybe my mystery bush was Solanum nigrum after all, or maybe some other species of Solanum. Here is a link that might be useful:

Aztreelvr mentioned it above, but I want to reiterate that the Coral Fountain (Russelia equisetiformis) would work perfectly for you from what I can tell of your desires. It is perennial, and is very hardy. It doesn't take much water, and it is only a bush size. Mine is only 3 years old, and it blooms year round, throwing up pretty red flowers all over the bush (although more in the spring & summer)- the hummers love it! The only down side is that it spreads rather easily...branches can take root when they touch the ground. But, it's not that big of a chore to pull any seedlings that have started every couple of months (I give them to friends, and they have them in their gardens now!). That's my suggestion! Good luck! Tristan

Discussion Posted by Eduarda 10 - Portugal I love berrying shrubs. They are so useful and look so lovely in Winter. So, what are the berrying shrubs that you have, love to have and have to have? Ill start with those I have. - Hollies - ilex aquifolium, JC Van Toll, Golden King, Aureomarginata - Nandina domestica - Firethorn - my privacy edge separating me from the road - Viburnum tinus - some blue berries are already showing up - Callicarpa - the purple berries are wonderful at this time of the year - Pernettya - pink and white berries - Cotoneaster horizontalis - Ruscus - Hips in rosa gallica officinalis and versicolor, Heritage and Veilchenblau What else am I missing for my Winter garden? Eduarda __________________________________________________ Follow-Up Postings: RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: TheGardnr z6 MA Ilex verticillata __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: Eduarda 10 - Portugal (My Page) Right! I love it. If only I had a source to obtain it! I´ve never seen it offered for trade in Portugal... Eduarda __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: Herb Victoria, B.C. Cotoneaster franchetii. Grows to between 2 and 3 meters tall and has LOTS of orange berries. I've just added a picture of ours to the Hortiplex database. __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: Teri2 6/7 TN (My Page) Ilex crenata (a fast growing boxwood look-alike) is used extensively for sheared hedging here. What most people don't realize is that if you lay off the shears when it flowers in spring, you'll be rewarded with a crop of dark blue berries that will have mockingbirds hopping all over those hedges come winter. __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: Eduarda 10 - Portugal (My Page) I didn´t know that about ilex crenata - thanks for letting me know. Another one I´ve never seen in Portugal, sigh... Eduarda __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) Acmena smithii(purple) Arbutus unedo(red) Cestrum aurantiacum/elegans/nocturnum(white or red) Clerodendrum trichotomum(turquoise) Dianella ensifolia/intermedia/tasmanica(turquoise to deep purple) Duranta repens/stenostachya(golden yellow) Helmholtzia glabberrima(white) Heteromeles arbutifolia(deep red) Hedychium gardnerianum(orange seeds) Mahonia aquifolium/lomariifolia(blue) Pittosporum tobira/undulatum(deep yellow to orange) Symphoricarpos albus(white) Syzygium paniculatum(purple) Not all of these have berries in winter, but all of them do have seasonally showy berries/fruits. It also pays to be careful with berrying shrubs, as the fruits may be exceptionally attractive to birds, and cause problems if spread into wild lands. This is a real problem with some Cotoneaster and Hedera species in California. It may be safest to use plants that can't get established from seed/or aren't quite hardy in your climate, rather than things that can/are... I would look for plants that come from climates with the opposite rainy season to yours, or that are known as noninvasive in your region. __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: dirtydave 8 (My Page) I live in Seattle, which has a mild, maritime zone 8 climate not too unlike northern Portugal. All the berrying plants mentioned in the opening list do well here. Here are a few more: Aucuba japonica Sarcococca confusa Ilex cornuta __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: rebow 6 Philly (My Page) beautyberry with its purple berries and winterberry with red ones that last all winter. __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: Eduarda Z10 - Portugal (My Page) I have beautyberry (callicarpa americana) and this year I´m keeping my fingers crossed it will be a real beauty, since it has grown quite a lot since last year and the berries are already forming! I love winterberry, but unfortunately I have never come across it in Portugal. If anyone knows of any mail order company in Europe from where I could import it, I would be eternally grateful. TIA Eduarda __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: luseal z 6-7 PA I used to plant many butterfly bushes, but not anymore. I removed at least ten of them(all) and planted three iridescent purple/blue VITEX. They look like butterfly bushes except they are prettier. The leaves are more beautiful and the spiky flowers, more lush and vibrant than a butterfly bush. I planted them in different beds and use they as a small tree. I pruned all the lower branches so I could plant under them. Unless you want a full bush( which is beautiful, if that is what you want) do not shear this shrub. Stratically prune it like a fine tree and you will be rewarded with a small 5 foot flowering tree/shrub. It needs full sun. (Did you have a sweltering hot summer in Portugal as all the other European Countries had?) __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: Eduarda Z10 - Portugal Luseal, your suggestion sounds lovely, but unfortunately this is yet another plant I´ve never seen offered for sale in Portugal... I need to have a word with my favorite garden centre and see what they can come up with. We are indeed in the middle of a terrible heat wave. 13 out of the 18 districts which build up the country have been (and still are) under uncontrolable fires and most of the country´s forest has been devastated. 14 people have already died. Thousands of people have lost their homes, burnt to the ground. The government has declared a state of public calamity. Honestly, I cannot remember a more afflicting Summer. And the temperatures are still at over 110 F for we don´t know how many more days to come... __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: Iowa_Jade 5a I was reading a book on the Lewis & Clark expedition and read about a description of Symphoricarpos albus or Snowberry. They mentioned it was good for steep banks and erosion control. That is one of the main reasons that I would be interested in same. They mentioned the birds only ate it if they were REAL hungry. All parts of the plant are poisonous, except to birds. Any other choices you might reccomend? Thanks! __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: shrubs_n_bulbs z8/9 UK Symphoricarpos berries are not poisonous, they just taste really bad, that's why the birds leave them. They used to be used as a last-resort food source in winter. They can cause vomiting if you eat enough. __________________________________________________ RE: Berrying shrubs Posted by: jeff_al 8 AL (My Page) No one has mentioned skimmia japonica. have a look at joe's photo from the garden photo gallery. now, what in the world is a guy in alabama doing on the winter garden forum? *lol* __________________________________________________