No matter what they are called, many people fail to consider the colorful addition to the landscape that is offered by ornamental fall fruits. There are many plants that produce their fruit in the fall, but only a few of them are well known to most gardeners. One of the best-known fall fruits is on the pyracantha shrub, sometimes known as fire thorn. This evergreen has clusters of white flowers in the late spring which turn into masses of orange to red fruit. Birds love this plant for the shelter it provides in its thorny branches, but more so for the berries, which are eaten with gusto once they start to ferment. Also well known are the evergreen hollies that are a staple to the local landscape and add color well into the winter. Less common are the deciduous hollies that are very showy because of the fact they are deciduous. In the fall the dark bare branches are covered in clusters of bright red berries that will persist until mid winter. Last year I saw small cut bundles of this plant being offered at a wholesale florist for $12.00 each! Another local staple with colorful long lasting fruit is nandina, which also has the nice habit of its leaves turning red in the late fall, really brightening the winter landscape. Most people know that nandina has red fruit, but if you want a different color, look for the yellow berried variety with its pale yellow to ivory colored fruit.

One of the lesser-known plants for fall fruit color is one of our easiest to grow natives, the American beautyberry. This plant has lavender flower clusters in late summer and these turn into rich, candy colored, purple berries by October. The leaves turn a soft yellow before they fall providing a good color contrast to the fruit. One other benefit from this plant is that its foliage repels pesky mosquitoes. Another easy to grow native for good fall color is aronia or chokeberry. This plant has masses of berries that start off green changing to yellow, then to orange and red, and finally to black before dropping off in mid winter. The fruit usually persists late, because the birds have to be very hungry to want the astringent berries. This plant can also get very nice, multi-colored fall foliage. There are several viburnums that get attractive fruit in the late summer to fall. Some of the best of these are the blackhaw, cranberry, sargents and tea viburnums which are cherished by birds for their red to purple-black edible fruits.

One of the most unusual of fall fruits can be found on the equally unusual harlequin glory bower tree native to China and Japan. This small tree or large shrub grows in colonies with many sprouts coming from off of the original plant via underground runners, so give it room to grow or be prepared to divide or remove. The large leaves smell like peanut butter when they are crushed. In the summer it blooms with very fragrant white flowers that are usually covered with swallowtails and other butterflies. In September the fruit begins forming which is a fleshy pink, 5-sided star with a bright blue berry right in the middle of the star. Colorful fruit and roses are not often thought of together, but another Asian native, rugosa rose has very showy orange hips in the fall of the year. This rose is also tough as nails, being very heat, drought and salt tolerant. It will even grow in nearly all sand at the oceanfront. The hips are also a good source of vitamin C and were traditionally brewed into a tea.

I hope I have not given you too much information, but just enough to peak your interest in some of the many plants that offer colorful fall fruit. If you are interested in seeing any of these, we have most of them in stock right now, and have others not mentioned in this article. Plant one of these selections this fall, and you and your feathered friends will be happier.