Berry Plants Deliver Significant Benefits When Used In Landscaping

Although homeowners tend to gravitate toward the vibrant blooms of ornamental greenery, the benefits of berry plants should not be discounted. Berry plants are too often relegated to vegetable gardens even though they deliver a superior attractiveness that rivals many flower bushes. If you stop and consider the short-term flowering periods of several ornamentals, you may discover that many berry plants sustain color longer. Integrating berry plants and shrubs into your landscape also delivers the added benefit of providing delicious food for you and neighboring wildlife. If you are considering a new landscape design or updating an existing one, our plant nursery professionals want you to know about the benefits of berry plants and bushes. You can make truly informed decisions about berry plants and bushes with the following information.

Benefits of Blueberry Bushes in Your Landscape

Blueberry types include highbush and lowbush varieties as a landscaping element. Highbush berry plants can reach 8 feet and produce fruit during the hot months. They also add subtle white flowers when not bearing fruit and infuse landscapes with vibrant foliage during fall. These berry plants tend to attract birds and butterflies. The berries also deliver the following nutritional and health benefits.

Blueberries rank among the top antioxidant foods.

Blueberries may reduce DNA damage.

Blueberries may lower blood pressure.

Blueberries can improve memory.

The lowbush berry plants typically stay under 18 inches. They can deftly flush out difficult growing areas in any landscape. Blueberries enjoy a natural heartiness that allows them to thrive in sometimes dry soil and require little maintenance and care.

Benefits of Blackberry Bushes in Your Landscape

Widely considered a type of “bramble,” blackberry bushes thrive in thickets. They make excellent perimeter hedges, and their thorns act as a deterrent to potential trespassers. When employed along property lines or other areas, their growth increases privacy and covers the appearance of rickety old fences. This facet makes blackberry bushes a landscape design darling. In terms of nutritional benefits, blueberries provide the following.

Blackberries remain a good source of vitamins ( specifically C and K ) and minerals such as manganese.

Blackberries remain a source of fiber.

Blackberries may improve brain health.

Blackberry bushes typically reach 3-5 feet and prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Varieties include erect bushes and plants that generally require a trellis. The light blooms add subtle color, and their heartiness doesn’t task homeowners with anything more than modest annual pruning.

Benefits of Black Raspberry Bushes in Your Landscape

When deciding on the right berry plant or bush for your landscape, remember that raspberry bushes can grow to 10 feet in some cases. Black raspberries tend to take a backseat to their red-fruit cousin. However, many consider the black raspberry the most delicious of the family. The dark, almost purplish fruit delivers the following nutritional benefits.

Black raspberries provide high levels of antioxidants.

Black raspberries deliver significant levels of fiber.

Black raspberries rank high in vitamin C.

Regarding landscaping strategies, these berry plants can be deployed along fences and buildings to create texture. The berry bushes do best when spaced out about every 2.5 feet. Their canes may time out after a few growing seasons. They make an excellent foreground feature, with annual pruning and removing dead stalks. Raspberry plants can also be trained to follow trellises creatively. Although they can tolerate various soils, black raspberries require at least partial shade to thrive.

Benefits of Huckleberry Bushes in Your Landscape

Huckleberry bushes are some of the most stubborn berry plants, and integrating them into a landscape successfully continues to harbor a source of pride. These notoriously fickle berry plants often won’t produce fruit for 5-7 years. When they do yield fruit, the results border on legendary. Those are why huckleberries fetch a high price at markets — if you can get them. These rank among the nutritional benefits you can expect.

Huckleberries may lower cholesterol, protect against muscular degeneration, and deter glaucoma.

Huckleberries provide high levels of vitamins A, B, and C.

Huckleberries may reduce the risk of stroke.

Regarding landscaping uses, Huckleberry leaves are rich red when they first appear. The leaves transition to deep green during the summer and end the cycle with red-purple fall foliage. Their color palette also includes whitish-pink flowers and red or dark purple berries. Few ornamentals can rival the chameleon-like color shifts of the Huckleberry. Their iconic presence makes standalone bushes a viable option, and you can plant them in rows to create dense, colorful hedges.