Shrubs With Berries Needed

I need to plant some shrubs that will get berries for the birds. One that I am considering is Sambucus 'Black Lace'. Do I need more than one kind of elderberry for pollination? I have noticed not all sites or catalog give this information on the various shrubs, which is making it hard for me to decide on what to get!

The western native Sambucus Racemosa is covered with clusters of red berries early in summer.The birds love them.You might also consider some European Mountain ash.They grow into small trees,20-30 feet.

This message was edited Mar 22, 2008 1:03 PM

I will check that out! Thanks

Also try serviceberry (Amelanchier), rowan (Sorbus) and viburnum (Viburnum). Several species of each.

Resin

I have been looking at viburnum & service berry also as some of those may be a better choice size wise. I really would like something early and something for late in the season.

Cranberry viburnums (Viburnum trilobum) has great fruit set that the birds love- especially cedar waxwings in late winter. Serviceberry (amelanchier) is the best for early fruit set (attracts bluebirds) in mid-summer. Also, red or black chokeberry (Aronia species) have great berry-set for fall. For wet areas, deciduous hollies are great. Don't forget crabapples. They really help feed early migrants in the spring- flocks of robins and bluebirds appreciate them. Each of these suggestions have varieties from dwarf to large (except for chokeberry).

Oops. Dogwoods too.

And hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) and evergreen hollies (Ilex spp.).

Thanks HoosierGreen! Nice to see someone from my neck of the woods, so to speak! I don't have room for anything that would get really huge. I would really like Black Lace but fell it may just be to large!

Do I need multiple Cranberry Viburnums to get berries?

Black Lace will die back to the ground every year, most likely, so it won't get too large. Viburnums are self-pollinating. Any of the viburnums can be kept small by pruning, but some varieties are smaller by nature, such as Viburnum trilobum 'Alfredo', and 'Bailey Compactum'. (By the way, I'm only one county over and will gladly give you healthy plants of Cranberry viburnun. I've got a large one that I have to grub out this spring as it's in the way of an addition, and it should yield many new plants.)

Ooooo, that would be FANTASTIC HoosierGreen! Do D-mail me when you are ready!!

I have only lived here for the last year. Had lived in Boone County. My brother lives on 36 in Danville just before the county line, and my sister is in Avon, And my inlaws are in Brownsburg! We shop in Avon so drive through Danville on a very regular basis!

I am getting some very useful information on here. Thank you and keep it coming!

It's a small tree, but maybe Black Beauty mulberry from Bay Laurel Nursery in California?

I will check that one out! A small treet would work very well for me.

American Beautyberry if it can handle your winters. It is absolutely beautiful.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2657/

This sambucus is lovely and fountain like in shape. Berries flowers and beautiful leaf shape and chartreuse color. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/76829/

Oooo, that is nice!

May I suggest Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red'. It's a deciduous Holly with a great berry display.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/80059/

This message was edited Apr 2, 2008 8:43 PM

This message was edited Apr 2, 2008 8:59 PM

I need a bigger yard, I want them all!!

I am thinking about getting Sargent's Crabapple. Do the birds like these fruits? I have always wondered if the fruits are too large for the birds throats. I have some viburnums. Some are very fragrant; all of them seem to get very large. However, there are some dwarf ones. Serviceberry is a native around here and I have been told it is a good one for birds. The cornus florida, dogwood, is suppose to be the number one plant for birds--more species of birds like the dogwood berries than any other shrub or tree.
Winterberry is pretty popular with the birds also. Chokeberry is popular also. I think it suckers pretty bad though.
Does anybody have a good resource for serviceberry and winterberry?

watch out for the mulberry.... what goes in must come out and it stains badly.

i like the serviceberry for cedar waxwings
i like the china girl holly for february bluebirds and robins

my next quest is a washinton hawthorn and a shasta double file viburnum.

i'm working on my eldeberry

tried and true is growing... or buying broomcorn for the juncos and especially the cardinals............. in.... the.... snow....

broom corn is sold in most farm markets in the fall as an ornamental. it grows easily from seed and it takes a little more work for the birds, so several broom tops last quite awhile

i also grow yellow swallowtail catipillars on my dill (aka "dill pickle plant")........ wierd huh????

I grow 6 or 7 varieties of Sambucus and the birds love them all. I never get to eat any of my Service berry fruit from either of my small trees, the birds love them. You can keep the Elderberries small if you wish by pruning. They are very pretty when in bloom.

Donna

I grow a bunch of service berries, viburnum, and many others crab etc. I have no birds that eat berries but my chickens when they fall. I don't know why, you would think that Montana would have berry eaters. What eats berries in your area Donna?

Cedar Waxwings come in flocks two or three times a year. They cleaned up my Malus Prairie Fire Allee, 10 trees, in a couple of days. The quail, in the winter climb/fly up into other crabapples and eat a lot of the fruit. Robins like the fruit of crabs after they have been frozen.

In the summer the house finches and even house sparrows eat all kinds of fruit. Bluebirds at times will eat fruit.

Funny thing this spring???? I bought 5000 meal worms from same company I have always bought from, and put the mealies out in same feeder boxes where I have before but the bluebirds have not seemed very interested. In fact the feeder box that is here near house ,they have been all around the area, but haven't eaten any of the worms in that feeder. I'm thinking I should maybe call the company to see what they think.

Donna