Berry Nice - some edible wild berries and their ornamental uses

As the last leaves fall from the trees and flowers become a distant memory, berries, hips and haws get their chance to shine. Trees and shrubs which have been doing their thing in the background now take centre stage. Look to the countryside for inspiration as many of our wild trees have ornamental counterparts

The Sloe or Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa is familiar in April as the still bare, dark hedgerows, are brushed into life by the massed single white blossoms; the flowering period is known in many parts of the country as Blackthorn Winter - the weather often turning cold and miserable around this time.

The small sour blue-black, floured fruit [below] are ready in the autumn and should be picked once frosted which softens them sufficiently to work with the gin and sugar to make Sloe gin [although you could cheat and freeze the fruit for a week or so instead to release the juices. None of this pricking with needles business]. Picking is a painful process; the thorn spiked branches are always reluctant to give up their fruits.

A ‘cheese’ can be made which is a sort of thick fruit paste with an intense flavour [nothing to do with dairy products]. I did try Sloe Jelly but underestimated how much setting agent would be required, it ended up rather runny and over intense; one recipe suggests an apple/sloe combination for the pectin. You will often find Bullace in the hedgerows which have larger fruits than the Blackthorn. The closest garden equivalent [without thorns] is the damson; Merryweather is probably the best known, the fruits giving that slight thrill of tartness.

The Hawthorn or May Tree, Crataegus is a familiar hedgerow tree, in full flower one of the real delights of May. It carries with it many traditions and tales; lone hawthorns are said to be fairy trees, it is bad luck to cut one down or bring the flowers in to the house [the picture above shows the Hawthorns near Long Meg in Cumbria which are decorated with ribbons]. Some sources on wild food suggest the young leaves are good to eat - having tried them they are nothing special.

In autumn the Hawthorn re-emerges from the background as the berries ripen to rich scarlet. I have made Hawthorn jelly which has a nice pink colour but didn’t taste of much; Haw wine is said to have a similar ‘delicate’ flavour. In the US the Apache and Mescalero Indians made dried cakes of native haws for winter food.

Hawthorn berries are used in herbal medicine for the treatment of blood pressure.

The fruit of the Azarole, C azarolus, a Southern European / North African Hawthorn is a bit plumper and quite pleasant to eat - floury/appley. The flowers are more clumped on the branches than our natives. [See left behind the lilac, SW France, May]

A number of ornamental cultivars of the native C. laevigatus are available, mostly double flowered, such as Paul’s Scarlet, also whites and pinks and with variegated leaves [shown above].

An unusual if somewhat scruffy form of Hawthorn is the Glastonbury Thorn, Crataegus monogyna Biflora, which in midwinter can be seen with both berries and single white flowers [right] - folk memory says it originated at Glastonbury when Joseph of Arimathea visited and stuck his walking stick into the ground on Wearyall Hill and it took root.

The Elder, Sambucus nigra is another tree with many associated tales and superstitions. Witches are said to live in elder trees and you should ask permission before you cut into an Elder. In Denmark the Hylde-Moer or Elder Mother will follow anything made out of her elder wood into the house or barn and cause havoc if permission has not been asked.

Elder was traditionally grown close to outside loos and dairies and stuck in hat bands as the odd, green astringent scent is said to be an effective fly repellent [as well as scaring away witches].

The froth of flowers in June heralds the beginning of summer. The flowers make a refreshing ‘champagne’, the fizz provided by natural yeasts. Just a few flowerheads, water, lemons and sugar - a lovely drink in its season as it doesn't keep. Elderflower cordial is another way to utilise the flowers and will keep longer.

The autumn berries are not particularly pleasant to eat raw but the wine is palatable and Elderberry syrup can be made to combat coughs and colds. The Romans used Elderberries to dye their hair which must have led to some interesting purple effects and later used to adulterate red wine by more unscrupulous wine merchants.

Elder is fast growing and probably not best for a small garden unless tightly managed. There are some very attractive cultivars including deep purple leaved Black Beauty [see above], spotted Pulverulenta and variegated Marginata.

Rowan or Mountain Ash, Sorbus aucuparia also has folklore attached to it especially where it is more commonly seen in the countryside in Northern England, Scotland and Ireland. Like the Elder it has been used to ward off witchcraft from cribs and byres and the wood incorporated into whips and pegs for cattle tethers. The berries can be made into wine and jelly. The Modern Herbal notes that the seeds have been reported to contain Prussic Acid so should not be eaten in quantity.

The orange of native Rowan berries can appear harsh in the garden, but there are sorbus such as Joseph Rock [see right, showing autumn leaf colour and berries],
S hupehensis, and S vilmorinii which display a similar delicate form with yellow, pinked or white berries. Sorbus torminalis, the Service Tree, a native which I don't think I have come across, apparently has sour fruit which like the medlar can be eaten when over ripe.

Cornus mas or Cornelian Cherry a native of Central and SE Europe is often planted in gardens for its little tuffets of yellow blossom in late winter on bare branches when little else is flowering, but rarely noted for its fruit. Jane Grigson in English Food says that it is so rare to get a good crop that a jelly made from the fruits should be savoured.



The berries pictured are Elderberries - but as with everything if you are not sure don't pick and don't eat!

Originally printed in The Bath Magazine 2004 [updated 2008]

@Karisgarden.com

Pictured: Malus John Downie >> Visit the Crocus online nursery

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Visit
Local places to see a range of trees and shrubs include Westonbirt Arboretum and Bath Botanic Garden.


RHS Plantfinder lists 73,000 harder to find plants and shrubs and the nurseries you can buy them from: www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantfinder.asp

Note
If you have small children check berried plants are not poisonous before buying as little fingers will find them fascinating.
Website: www.rhs.org.uk/research/horticultural_themes/hazardous.asp