Keep color in the winter garden with berries

"That's a nice looking flower on that rose over there. But what I really want to know is-what are its hips like?"

This is not a phrase often heard at your local garden center. But this savvy gardener knows that roses often have showy fruit called hips. Fruit, whether in the form of hips, berries or even on trees like crabapples are an excellent way to extend the ornamental appeal of a plant; sometimes even into winter.

Let's look at roses. You may never have seen hips on your roses. One reason for this is the pruning done to roses to keep them looking attractive. If you dead-head your plants, no hips will ever form. The other reason is that some roses make small hips or none at all. One group of shrub roses called rugosas is especially noted for its hips. These hips are generally orange-red, globe-shaped or slightly flattened, and may be 1 inch or more.

Some plants, like rugosa roses, have both showy flowers and fruit. Others may have inconspicuous flowers, but produce showy fruit.

Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst,' with the appropriate common name of Beautyberry, has small lavender pink flowers that are nice but not terribly noticeable. The flowers are followed by clusters of bright purple, 1/8" berries all along the stems. The berries appear in early fall on this 3- to 4-foot tall shrub. There is even a white-berried variety, 'Leucocarpa,' that when seen usually prompts the response, "Huh. That's interesting. Gimme one of those purple ones over there."

Next, imagine that someone took hundreds of " foam balls, gave them a light spray of magenta-pink, and then glued them on a 4-to 5-foot shrub with arching branches. That describes Symphoricarpos doorenbosii 'Amethyst.' In addition to its striking berries, 'Amethyst' will tolerate a fair amount of shade.

As we continue to browse through the berries, let's head to the top of the alphabet and stop at Aronia arbutifolia. Specifically the variety 'Brilliantissima' known as the Red Chokeberry. Unlike the previous plants, the Red Chokeberry does have showy flowers. Clusters of white flowers appear in early spring followed by berries that ripen in late summer to a lustrous red. The birds don't seem to like them ("choke" berry) so they persist through much of the winter. In fall, the shiny dark green leaves on this 6- to 8-foot plant turn a brilliant red, rivaling any burning bush.

Now from A to-V? Well, we didn't make it quite to the end but we can't pass up Viburnums. Not all species of Viburnum produce showy fruit, but one of the best is V. dentatum or Arrowwood. This native reaches 6 to 8 feet or more. The creamy white flowers appear in spring. Fruit matures in late fall, becoming bluish black. The fall color is variable ranging from yellow to red to reddish purple. Several cultivars have been introduced, among them Chicago Lustre, Autumn Jazz and others. There is some debate over whether it is necessary to have more than one cultivar present nearby to cross-pollinate, leading to better berry production. It can't hurt, and may help to have more that on variety, just in case.

Another viburnum with bountiful berries is V. trilobum or American Cranberrybush Viburnum. 'Wentworth' is a large 10- to 12-foot cultivar. The white flower clusters of spring give way to berries that begin yellow but mature to bright red by late summer. A shorter variety, 'Bailey's Compact,' reaches 5 to 6 feet. Both have excellent red fall color. Like the Arrowwood, berry production might be enhanced by the presence of another cultivar.

Let's swing on over to a vine. Ampelopsis brevipedunculata or porcelain vine is a fast growing clinging vine that reaches 10 to 15 feet. Showy, metallic, porcelain-blue berries cover the plant in autumn. Often the berries in a cluster vary from green to purple to porcelain-blue as they mature. The cultivar 'Elegans' has streaky variegated white and green foliage.

Not all fruit are berries, as is the case with crabapples. Don't roll your eyes or throw up your hands when you hear crabapple. Yes, many of us have had crabs that are practically defoliated by late summer due to leaf diseases. And no one likes to mow under one that has dropped fruit and made a sticky, smelly mess. But I would defend the crabapple as probably the most beautiful flowering tree in the Chicago area. (Shall we say pruning shears at 20 paces?) Nothing can beat a crabapple in full bloom in spring. Luckily, there are now many varieties with disease resistant foliage and persistent (hangs on all winter) fruit. With a wide range or size, shape, flower color and fruit color, you're bound to find one for your garden. 'Lancelot' has white flowers followed by 3/8" gold fruit. It is a small 8- to 10-foot that spreads about 8 feet. 'Prairiefire' blooms a little later than many crabs with purplish red flower on an upright spreading 15-foot tree. The " maroon fruit stay on the tree through most of the winter. There are weeping crabs, narrow upright crabs, there are even crabs-without fruit (gasp!).

Doug Hampton is a horticulturalist and a tree and shrub expert at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield, IL 60190. Call 630-293-1040.