Hardy Ornamental Fruiting Trees and Shrubs 
By John Dunbar, New York 
Ir, perhaps, is common experience in the planting of 
ornamental grounds, whether it be the small city- 
yard, the large private estate, or public park areas, 
to think only of trees, shrubs and plants in their flow- 
ering and foliage aspects. Large numbers of people 
fail to observe the remarkable beauty of the fruits and 
berries of many trees and shrubs, unless their atten- 
tion is specifically directed toward it, when trees and 
shrubs are carrying their precious burdens. 
In this respect I am afraid our Japanese friends sur- 
pass us. They have a i)assionate love for the orna- 
mental berries and fruits of hardy trees and shrubs. 
They use them extensively in the decoration of their 
homes and ornament their dining tables with them. 
The fruiting sprays of many beautiful shrubs are 
largely collected and readily sold in the public streets 
and markets of their cities. It is surprising how long 
the fruiting sprays of many shrubs and trees will re- 
main without losing their lustre in living rooms, last- 
ing much longer than cut flowers. 
An imjiortant feature in ornamental fruiting trees 
and shrubs is the food that some of them supply to 
birds. Of course, as the saying goes, "you can't 
have your cake and eat it, too." If the birds eat the 
fruits we shall not have their beauty to enjoy. As a 
matter of fact, the most beautiful fruiting shrubs we 
have the birds will not touch. The lovely Winterberry, 
our native deciduous Holly, whose showy red fruits 
hang on all Winter, the birds do not seem to care for. 
I have never seen birds eat the fruits of any of the 
Eonymuses, or the American or Japanese Bitter- 
sweets. What surprises me is that birds will not eat 
the fruits of any of the Barberries. I have never ob- 
served birds touch them. Of course, they have a 
strongly acid taste, but considering that they make p 
good jelly and excellent sauce, and I believe are nu- 
tritious, it is strange that birds will not eat them, be- 
cause they hang on the bushes of many of the species 
throughout the Winter, when food is scarce. I am 
sure thev eat many fruits just as tarts. For example, 
the Japanese Oleaster, EL-eganus longipes ; robins and 
other birds devour the fruits greedily as soon as they 
are ripe, and they are just as strongly tart as the Bar- 
berries. 
The difTerent Oleasters, Elseagnus longipes, E. an- 
gustifolia. ]l. argentea, E. parvifolia, and E. umbellata 
have all showv. interesting fruits. E. longipes is the 
earliest to mature its fruits and they are usually ripe 
at the end of Tuly. The closely related Buft'alo-berry, 
Shepherdia Canadensis, ripens its red berries in July 
and is quite common on the steep banks of the Gene- 
see River. 
The Red-berried Elder, Sambucus pubens, with its 
handsfime clusters of red fruits, is most attractive in 
mid-summer. I do not think the birds eat its fruits, 
but of the Canadian Elderberry, Sambucus Canaden- 
sis, which ripens in August and September, and whose 
immense black fruit clusters are very showy, the birds 
devour the fruits greedily. 
Some of the bush Honeysuckles are remarkably 
showy at the end of July and first of August, with 
their red and yellowish red fruits. Lonicera Tatarica 
and L. Ruprechtiana have showy fruits. The most 
beautiful form in fruit is L. bella. This originated as 
•Extracts of an address by 
Florists' Association. 
John 
Dunbar, before the Rochester, N. Y. 
a hybrid a good many years ago in the botanic gardens 
m St. Petersburg, Russia. The branches bend under 
the burden of handsome currantlike red fruits in July. 
The showy fruits are so tempting that I have often 
been asked if they were fit to eat. A bush Honey- 
suckle, L. Maackii, introduced lately from China, has 
beautiful showy red fruits that ripen late in the Fall 
and hang on until the beginning of Winter. 
The Dogwoods are nearly all important features in 
their showy fruits. The common Red Osier Dogwood, 
Cornus stolonifera, produces its pretty wax white 
fruits from midsummer to Fall. Cornus mascula, 
sometimes known under the name of Cornelian Cherry, 
ripens its large showy dark red fruits in August and 
September. It has the largest fruit of any Dogwood. 
Cornus alternifolius has attractive bluish fruits, some- 
times with a yellowish tinge, in August. Cornus cir- 
cinata displays showy whitish fruits, often tinged with 
blue, in August and September, and the red stalks on 
which they are supported add to their beauty. Cor- 
nus Purpusi and C. amomum, with their lax, drooping 
clusters of handsome pruinose Ijlue fruits make a most 
beautiful display in August and September. The white- 
flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, displays its dense 
clusters of handsome red fruits from September to 
November. The Japanese Cornus Kousa has connate 
scarlet fruits that ri])en in the Fall and are very at- 
tractive. 
The Viburnums are a most attractive genus of hand- 
some fruiting shrubs, and there are a large number 
of them that are perfectly hardy and thrive in this 
part of the world. In a general way their fruits are 
various shades of blue and red. The fruits are nearly 
all borne in terminal flat clusters. About the first to 
ripen its berries in the blue fruited species is Vibur- 
num Lantana. The fruit has a curious habit of assum- 
ing a red color before it turns to bluish black. In fact, 
a number of the species have the habit of assuming 
various tints before they are finally ripe. Viburnum 
dentatum, V. pubescens, V. Sieboldi, V. Canbyi, V. ve- 
nosum. \'. lantanoides, V. acerifolium, \'. cassinoides, 
V. prunifolium, V. lentago and V. rufidulum are all or- 
namental in various shades of bluish fruits. In the 
red fruiting species. Viburnum Wrighti, V. Opulus, V. 
Americanum, V. Sargenti and V. dilatatum (with the 
exception of V. Sargenti) are all remarkably hand- 
some in their showy red fruit clusters. Viburnum Opu- 
lus and V. Americanum hold their fruits the greater 
part of the Winter, 
The native Cherries are important in their fruitage. 
The Choke Cherry, Prunus Virginiana, with its hand- 
some clusters of red, dark red or yellowish red fruits, is 
very ornamental from July to September. Although very 
astringent, the birds devour the fruits greedily and 
they are often quickly stri]iped ofif as soon as they are 
ripe. A variety with bright yellow fruits, which is 
said to be common in the woods around Montreal, is 
verv sliowv. The Pin Cherry, Prunus Pennsylvanica. 
has interesting clusters of pear-shaped red fruits in 
August and September. The Black Cherry, Prunus 
Serotina, displays its clusters of black fruits in Sep- 
tember. 
Coriaria faponica is a rare Japanese shrub whose 
distinctively unique and show}"- fruits in July and Au- 
gust are first bright red and turn to violet black when 
fully ripe. The fruits of Coriarias are marked by a pe- 
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