These berry bushes are an amazing choice for your garden!
Yeah, we know that as soon as the cold weather arrives, we feel like the only thing we can do in the garden is to prepare for the winter and wait for the spring to come. While this is partially true, some plants prefer to start their life during this period.
If you ever thought that some shrubs would look great in your garden, this is the perfect time to plant them! After you are done with all the harvesting and winter preparation, you can start learning more about these amazing berry bushes that prefer to be planted during the cold season.
Maybe you are not sure about how to begin this, but we are here to support you. Besides making your yard and garden more appealing, these berry bushes also offer you fruits that you can eat.
The only thing to consider is that before planting, you are sure that there are still a couple of frost-free weeks. They like cold weather, but when the frost comes, it will be impossible to plant them.
Cranberry
We always hear about cranberries when the holidays approach, but these berry bushes can be so much more than a holiday staple. When you plant them in the right conditions, these low-growing shrubs will transform your garden into a wonderland.
With their glossy, dark green leaves and delicate white or pink star-shaped flowers, any landscape will look more beautiful. Then, from late summer to mid-fall, you’ll have your supply of plump, maroon-red berries.
Since cranberries love cool, wet environments, they are the perfect pick for gardeners in USDA hardiness zones 3–7. The soil needs to constantly have an acidic pH between 4.0 and 5.2, and you should make sure that it is always moist since these plants need a lot of water.
If your garden is not able to offer these conditions, you don’t have to worry because you can create them by building some raised garden beds. Choose a spot that has full sun or partial shade and plant the berry bushes close together.
The plants remain small, typically staying between 1 and 3 feet in height, making them manageable and easy to care for once established.
Red-Flowering Currant
Do you want to add a splash of color to your garden this winter? The red-flowering currant might be the perfect choice. These berry bushes are native to the Pacific Northwest and are great for anyone who is living in hardiness zones 6–8. People love them for the vibrant pink color of their flowers, which are able to attract hummingbirds and other pollinators.
But you need to understand how beautiful this shrub can be. The rounded, serrated leaves and stunning flower clusters easily make it stand out, making your garden the most aesthetically pleasing one in the entire neighborhood.
Now, you should know that growing this bush is simple. If you have a sunnier spot in your garden, you are good to go. They can reach heights of 5 to 12 feet, which means they are ideal if you plan to create borders or hedgerows.
If you’re living in the eastern United States, make sure to verify local rules because currants and gooseberries are banned in some locations owing to their contribution to the spread of white pine blister rust.
Blueberry
We are absolutely sure that anyone wants some fresh, juicy blueberries just outside their home! Maybe you like baking, and you know how delicious they can be, or maybe you simply want to pop them straight into your mouth; whatever the case, having your own berry bushes is a blessing.
So, growing your own blueberries can be a rewarding and delicious experience. Also, besides the fact they taste good, blueberries are packed with essential antioxidants.
Even more, these berry bushes are very pretty! They look like you took them out of a fairy tale, and who wouldn’t want that in their yard? As soon as the summer comes, you will be able to pick the berries and eat them or use them to make smoothies, pies, or jams.
You can go with the tall, highbush varieties (6 to 12 feet) or the compact, lowbush types (rarely over 2 feet) since blueberries come in many shapes and sizes. Look around and decide what suits the best in your garden.
All they need to grow tall and healthy is full sun and soil with a pH of 3.8 to 5.5. It’s essential to remember that they are picky about the soil, so make sure it’s rich, moist, and well-drained.
Buffaloberry
Do you want some low-maintenance berry bushes in your garden? Buffaloberries are ideal and also add some color and attract beneficial wildlife. They are native to the western and central United States and Canada, but you can plant them almost anywhere if you have temperate weather.
What is amazing about these berry bushes is that they are very resilient. They thrive in various conditions and can grow in any type of soil, from poor, dry soil to soil that suffers occasional flooding. Also, it doesn’t require sun all the time compared to other shrubs on this list.
But now let’s talk about buffaloberry’s vibrant, candy-red fruits! You can harvest them and use them to make various jams, jellies, or even pies. These berries are too tart to eat raw, but they’re absolutely perfect for the dishes we mentioned, or you can add them to your cooking to give a tangy kick to the food you prepare.
Raspberry
Oh, raspberries! There are few things in life that can compare to the joys of picking some juicy, sun-warmed raspberries straight from the bush. It is very easy to overindulge and eat too many raspberries in one sitting, but do you know what other thing is as easy as this? Growing your own berry bushes!
They need very little care, and during the spring they will make your garden look fantastic with their delicate white, pink, or pale purple flowers. They love full sun and partial shade and prefer to grow in the hardiness zones 4 to 8, making them a quite versatile choice. Traditional varieties come with thorny canes, but thornless options are also available for anyone who prefers a hassle-free harvest.
It’s important to be prepared to share your harvest because, during the summer, birds will immediately see them, and since they consider raspberries a delicacy, be sure they will not hesitate to steal some from your bushes.
In the end, we can only say that berry bushes are a wonderful addition to any garden, providing both beauty and utility. No matter if you want to harvest their fruits or create a natural fence, almost any berry bush can do this.
The best thing is that you can plant them right before the winter starts. To be more exact, before the first frost. So, if you live in a warmer climate, this means you can also plant them during the winter.
If you want to start the process of planting berry bushes you might need some Plant Nursery Pots with Humidity Dome, Seed Starter Biodegradable Peat Pots
You should also read: 9 Winter Lighting Ideas for a Warm and Welcoming Garden
