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Small fruit plants provide more than fruit
If garden space is a problem, consider putting small fruit plants in your landscape. Several of the small fruits lend themselves nicely to landscape use, providing interesting foliage, form, fall colors and flowers. Of all the small fruits, strawberries are the best landscape subjects. They have shining green leaves throughout the growing season, attractive white flowers, red berries, and they add a little fall color when they turn burgundy color. Strawberries are easily tucked into a corner of the flower bed or shrub border, used as ground cover, or as edging for flower borders or walks. Equal in preference for landscape use are blueberries. They are considered one of the most attractive shrubs, yet few are grown as specimens in home yards. The blueberry plant has dainty white blossom clusters in the spring, beautiful glossy green foliage all summer and attractive blue fruit. The foliage also has splendid fall coloration. After the leaves fall, the graceful lines of the bright green or reddish branches provide color interest that lasts throughout the winter. Blueberry plants grow quickly to maximum size and if properly maintained, remain about the same size and shape for years. They rarely outgrow their original location and function. Blueberries need an acidic soil, and can be planted in an area with rhododendrons and azaleas, oaks, evergreens and hollies as specimens, in corner plantings or with other shrub groupings. Grapevines grow rapidly to produce an abundance of attractive dense foliage and fruit that may vary from green to red to dark purple, depending upon variety and season. The shredding bark on an old trunk and the bright tan color of previous season's canes also add winter interest to an arbor or fence. Home gardeners who enjoy raspberries will find they can make attractive summer hedges or screens when trained along a fence. They will spread and can be difficult to maintain in a small area.
Currants and gooseberries are fine landscape subjects but are rarely planted in Illinois, though home production is now practically the only way to obtain them. Bushes do not spread beyond their allocated space—growing three to four feet high and about as wide. They have small, attractive leaves, providing a variation in texture in the home landscape, and make excellent conversation pieces when heavily laden with their yellow or red fruit. Elderberries, service berries, and highbush cranberries are other small fruits of dual purpose that deserve consideration as landscape subjects. You don't have to eat the fruit to enjoy the plant and its seasonal display. Many birds and wildlife will use the fruit as food sources.
David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois. You can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: robsond @idea.ag.uiuc.edu 16 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING MAY 1997 |
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