Berries Ideas, Tips & Guides

From when I was a child, I’ve always loved gussying up the table for Christmas. Lots of candles are a must, in order to give that necessary festive twinkle, ideally placed at different heights (nightlights, low candlesticks, tall candelabras), to really make it sparkle. Nice table linen and glassware are important too. But the table arrangements really wave the magic Christmas wand, providing that all-important bit of theatre to memorably mark this special day of the year.

ADAM ALBRIGHT

Blaine Moats

With their glossy leaves and festive red berries, skimmia are made for Christmas. What’s more, these compact evergreen shrubs are a super choice for small gardens, and they grow well in containers for courtyard or balcony gardeners. If you yearn to gather your own greenery for Christmas decorations, but don’t have room for a holly, a couple of choice skimmias could be just the thing – and because they’re prickle free, making those decorations will be far less painful!

Believe it or not, 2024 is almost here. With a new year comes fresh home design trends. We had to ask: what’s in and what’s out? We turned to a few interior designers and architects for their 2024 home trends predictions. After all, they’re the closest thing to a Magic 8 ball of design.

Rhipsalis is a low-maintenance, hanging house plant that’s perfect for beginners. Although it has no prickles, it’s a cactus and known as the mistletoe cactus. This may be because the tiny, white flowers that appear along its stems through winter into spring are followed by small, white or pale-pink berries or because its spineless foliage looks a little like mistletoe.

The colours of autumn are so evocative. Russet, ochre and translucent crimson can look magnificent against a clear blue sky – or more importantly they can light up a dull grey day, catching the eye and cheering the heart. It is fascinating to know a little about the science behind the colour change in the second half of the year, as explained by Chris Clennett at Kew: ‘Trees, like most plants, use chlorophyll to photosynthesise…In autumn, trees that lose their leaves for winter go through a process to shut down photosynthesis and reclaim as many valuable chemicals as possible. Chlorophyll is constantly breaking down and being replaced through the summer, but the process slows down in autumn. This reveals all those other chemicals that were hidden by the presence of the dominant green chlorophyll…yellow flavonols, orange carotenoids and red to purple anthocyanins.’

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These DIY Pothos wreath ideas offer an artful way to decorate your home for the festive season with a nature’s touch!

Jostaberry – pronounced ‘yosta’ (Ribes × nidigrolaria) – is a cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry. It forms a big, hardy, deciduous shrub that bears small purple flowers in late spring, followed by red-black berries the size of gooseberries but with a richer, sweeter flavour. While quite tart compared with other soft fruit, jostaberries are sweet enough to be eaten raw in salads, muesli and desserts, or cooked in sweet or savoury dishes. The fruit also freezes well.

An attractively planted container will bring colour and interest to your garden even in the depths of winter when all around is dormant, waiting for the spring. A winter container can be squeezed into almost any garden space, whether a small balcony or patio, or they can take pride of place on your doorstep. Here we share some of our favourite plants for containers, guaranteed to brighten up the darkest of days. Our choices include recommendations from the Gardeners’ World team and familiar faces from across the gardening industry.

These Plants that Have Christmas in Their Names are popular choices for holiday decoration, adding a festive touch to homes with their color, texture, and seasonal cheer!

This year gave us so many different aesthetics and home trends that it’s tough to see how 2024 could bring us anything more—or at least anything different.

Few plants generate more revulsion in the garden than junipers. The mere suggestion of planting one often musters a similar reaction to that of saying a dirty word. Maybe we’ve grown weary of their use as ever­green blobs in foundation plantings. Perhaps the thought of meticulously shearing them into the perfect shape sounds daunting (see pruning tips). It could be an early memory of an itchy rash from an up-close encounter with a juniper’s prickly branches. Or it could be boredom with the sea of creeping blue rug junipers (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’, Zones 3–9) planted in every big-box-store parking lot. Although junipers are a midcentury-modern garden staple, generations of gardeners have since decided they have had enough of these controversial conifers. While it’s easy to dismiss them for their deeply ingrained negative traits, junipers have many merits that make them worth reconsideration.

Robins can lose up to 10% of their body weight keeping warm over a single winter’s night. With reports that the La Nina weather system may bring harsh cold spells in winter 2022-23, added to the problem of disappearing food sources and habitats over the UK, robins – and other garden birds – could do with some support this season.

Henry Mustin popped open the trunk of his electric Volkswagen to reveal his arsenal: Loppers, pruners, saws and trowels, tucked into bags. Taking up the most space was Mustin’s weed wrench, an L-shaped specialty tool branded The Extractigator, which leverages the ground to yank deeply rooted vegetation from the earth.

Did you know that some of the most delicious and nutritious fruits don’t actually grow on trees? From ground-hugging strawberries to climbing passion fruits, there are many more to discover in this article!

How to Propagate Coffee Beans

After reading this till the end, you’ll be able to identify the Poison Ivy Look Alike Plants growing around you. As these are not as harmful as poison ivy, you won’t need to get rid of them.

December is around the corner, which means it’s time for holiday decorating. And today Cherry Ong is sharing some of her incredible holiday wreath creations. She combines basic wreaths with materials gathered from her garden and purchased to make these marvelous custom creations. If you want to try your hand at making your own wreaths with materials from your garden, you can get your inspiration here, and learn the technique in this video: Make a Holiday Wreath.

The most magical Christmas gift wrap ideas incorporate natural elements, evoking the feel of an enchanted woodland.

If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace mantel in your home, you won't want to miss out on the opportunity to decorate it this holiday season and create a beautiful display that the whole family will enjoy.

If you have never heard of blueberry sod, this is your chance to simplify the way you approach lawn care. Beautiful and delicious, using blueberry sod as ground cover is a great alternative to planting a new lawn. It is much easier to grow and care for, and a unique way to enhance your garden’s fruiting potential.

Nothing adds a rustic festive flourish more than the humble pinecone – and these pinecone Christmas crafts are brimming with seasonal charm.

When it comes time to prepare for the holiday season, there are so many things to consider. From outdoor decor to planning the perfect party, it can all be more than a little overwhelming.

There are so many beautiful DIY winter wreath ideas that you can make using natural materials. Collect foliage, flowers, berries, fruits, and other interesting items from your garden – or forage for them on seasonal walks.

With 2023 drawing to a close, interior designers and design enthusiasts alike are already looking ahead to the New Year and the trends that are expected to be big. From trending colors to lighting trends, living room trends, bathroom trends, and more, design experts are excitedly preparing for what 2024 will bring.

Deciding to grow common privet (Ligustrum vulgare) is an easy choice if you need an easygoing standalone shrub or plant for hedging. Indeed, the common privet (also called European privet or wild privet) has long been a popular hedge plant. If you’re looking for the fastest growing shrubs, this one is really fast. It grows as wide as it is tall, and it is also fairly cold-hardy.

Q: Could you please recommend some species of trees and shrubs that can be used to make natural, home-made Christmas decorations? I love to decorate the house with ivy and holly from the garden, but I’d love some suggestions as to what else I might grow that can be used in the same way? AN, Monkstown, Dublin

If you are a beginner, knowing some easy fruits to grow can get you on the path to self sufficiency and well being. Growing our own food allows us to control what’s in it, making us healthier. Fruit is one of our main dietary requirements and a pleasure to grow in a home garden.

Late fall and early winter can be a drab time in northeastern gardens. Most of the leaves have faded from the trees, and the perennial border is looking mushy and brown. What’s a gardener to do? Luckily, there are many plants that look great at this time of year. The following are a few trees and shrubs that might be lesser known but are worth adding to your garden for a late-season show.

Making Christmas wreaths is an easy festive task in the run up to Christmas. We’ve got plenty of inspiring ideas, whether you want to make a traditional wreath or create a contemporary design. Check out our 12 festive designs below using not only holly and ivy, but seedheads, rosehips and white snowberries. Whatever style you feel like creating, we’ve got the perfect wreath for you.

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Forcing Branch Cuttings to Bloom All Year Indoors offers a cost-effective way to expand your indoor garden. In this guide, we’ll unveil the secrets to selecting, cutting, and nurturing branch cuttings to ensure a constant display of blooms throughout the year!

As these beautiful creatures flutter through the Great Lake State’s varied habitats, they bring a splash of color and melody to the gardens. Let’s discover Blue Birds in Michigan!

Gardening for Wildlife: 21 of the Best Trees and Shrubs with Winter Berries