Blue and Black Winter Berries

Red is probably the color most people think of first when picturing a plant with berries in the winter garden. However, there are several very wonderful varieties of plants with blue, black or purple berries suitable for adding interest during the winter.

Autumn Brilliance® Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’®) is a stunning serviceberry cultivar, with beautiful berry production and gorgeous fall color that make it a great addition to any garden. The blue and red berries are edible. Hardy in zones 4-9 the serviceberry plant grows to 15-20′ maximum and can be grown as a single trunk small tree, or multi stemmed large bush depending on your pruning choices.

You can tell just from the name that the medium sized shrub ‘Profusion’ Beautyberry (Callicarpa bodnieri ‘Profusion’) is another plant with lovely late fall through winter berry displays. This AGM Award Winner beautyberry is known for its maroon spring foliage growth, its flaming fall colors, and the brilliant berries it produces. Growing anywhere from 4-10′ tall the beautyberry shrub keeps compact at 4′ wide making it an excellent choice for mixed borders, water accent plantings, or even smaller garden areas. Hardy zones 5-9 One of my personal favorites, this easy to grow beautyberry will have a place in my new borders this year.

Blue Muffin Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘Christom Blue Muffin’) is a lovely viburnum that has truly blue berries beginning late fall, and gorgeous white blossoms in the spring. Perfect for a low hedge, or small shrub this viburnum grows 4-5′ tall and 3-4 wide and is hardy zones 3-9. While all viburnums have berries, this cultivar has one of the most beautiful blues I’ve ever seen. Many plants have a purple-blue or black-blue, but this viburnum produces a true blue colored berry that is very unique in the garden.

Darwin’s Barberry (Berberis darwinii) is another great addition to the garden with bluish berries. In the spring there are brilliant golden flowers carried on the arching branches of this 6′-10’shrub. Come fall the barberry plant produces sprays of blue berries that almost resemble loose clusters of grapes. An evergreen shrub that is easy to grow in a variety of soils, this plant makes an excellent loose hedge or mass planting along the back of a border. Originally from Chile, berberis darwinii differs from the deciduous Japanese barberry forms you usually see in garden centers. Hardy to Zone 6b and preferring part shade to full sun.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) has small dark berries in the autumn on a small tree growing 20′ tall. Edible berries have long been used as herbal supplements for medical benefits. It is deciduous with early summer flowers and autumn berries starting about August. Birds will leave the berries alone until after the first frosts which take away the bitter taste. Hardy through zone 5 it is a great way to mark the seasons. Some cultivars like ‘Purpurea’ have burgundy foliage growth in the spring, olive green in the summer and reddish foliage in the fall. ‘Black Beauty’ holds the purple color throughout and has fragrant flowers. The Elderberry is similar to many hollies in that it requires a pollinator so plant two for great berry production.

A great plant with darker berries for colder climates is the Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) which is hardy all the way in zones 3-8. Very easy to grow, chokeberry will tolerate wet and dry soil conditions, part shade through full sun (sun being preferred) and any type of soil composition once established. Aronia melanocarpa grows 3′-6′ tall and wide and is in the rose family. White blooms appear in late spring and the fruit is shiny black and will last until winter if the birds do not eat them first.

Gardeners should be aware that the red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) is considered invasive in most regions and is probably best avoided. Black chokeberry can spread by sucker roots under the ground but is much more behaved in a garden setting and not considered invasive. The ‘Autumn Magic’ cultivar has very long lasting berries and fantastic orange, fall foliage color. ‘Manshurica’ is less sprawling in growth habit and has shiny, deeper green foliage. ‘Elata’ has a more compact and rounded form then the native species.

Review the general tips for using berries or see all the ways to use plants for brightening a winter garden landscape.