When picking plants for our gardens, we often think of how they will appear in spring and summer. We seek out bright blooms and interesting foliage to add excitement and beauty in the warmer months, but what happens once the temperatures start to cool, the blooms fade, and the foliage falls? When planning your garden, consider adding plants that extend your garden’s life beyond flower season-our favorite way to do this? Berries.

While the juicy and edible berries we pick up each trip from the farmer’s market may be in season during the summer months, these types of ornamental berry bushes start their show typically by the end of summer to early fall. While humans may not decide to feast on the bright bounty of berries, birds adore them- a bonus of adding berry-bearing plants to your landscape. Berries come in various colors, from classic reds to golden yellows and even purples. They’re a simple and often low-maintenance way of adding color to a typically quiet time in our gardens while also supporting the local ecosystem; in our book, that’s a win-win.

Here we’ll list some of our favorite fall and winter plants that bear the most delightful berries!