The Best Red Berry Bushes and Plants for Your Yard

When you think of landscape plantings with red berries, holly is probably the first one that comes to mind, especially around Christmas time. But there are other amazing plants that you should consider if you’re looking to add something with bright red berries to your outdoor living spaces. Here are six top choices of red berry bushes and plants to beautify your yard.

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata

Bright red berries on cross-pollinated plants will appear in August and last until winter. A variety of birds enjoy snacking on this favorite berry bush including woodpeckers, robins, cedar waxwings, and more. Winterberry is a deciduous holly, dropping its leaves in winter. In order to get berries on a female Winterberry, you have to plant a male bush, too. Keep in mind that one male plant can pollinate up to five females. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9.

 

Red Chokeberry

Aronia arbutifolia

This is a delightful shrub from today’s list of red berry bushes that bears light pink flowers in spring, with leaves that turn red-orange to purple in the fall. Then the beautiful pear-shaped berries appear making this plant appealing across all seasons. You can also make jam or jelly from the berries. Its counterpart, the black chokeberry, is appealing to a range of birds. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9.

 

Here’s what the dainty pink spring flowers look like. So pretty!

 

Bearberry Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster dammeri

One of my personal favorites, cotoneaster is available in a variety of sizes. Bearberry is only a foot tall and can spread up to six feet, making it an ideal choice for garden borders. The small, glossy, green leaves turn to purple or reddish-bronze in fall, putting on a colorful display. This is another of the red berry bushes that birds like to dine on. Hardy in Zones 5 to 8.

 

Lingonberry

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

If you’ve ever eaten at an IKEA restaurant, or any other Swedish restaurant, you’ve probably seen lingonberries somewhere on the menu. Not only that, but the lingonberry has the highest amount of antioxidants of any berries. Eaten raw, they’re bitter. But when cooked, they can replace cranberries in a recipe. The lingonberry is a creeping style of red berry bushes that forms dense mats in the landscape. Hardy in Zones 2 to 7.

 

Serviceberry

Amelanchier lamarckii

Three of these beautiful bushes grace my yard near the sidewalk. I’m waiting for them to grow enough to create a bit of a privacy screen. I love their dainty leaves and tiny white flowers in spring that give way to small reddish-purple berries in late summer. Bees love the flowers while birds enjoy the berries later in the season. Serviceberry is one of my favorite plantings in my yard. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9.

 

Bunchberry

Cornus canadensis

Bunchberry, also known as creeping dogwood, is a wonderful spreading groundcover for northern climates. Small white flowers become clusters of pretty berries that ripen in August and last through fall. Its glossy green leaves turn to red and purple in autumn, creating an appealing show in the landscape. Hardy in Zones 2 to 6.

 

The tiny white flowers of the bunchberry are just as appealing as the berries that will soon appear.

 

Christmas Holly

Ilex opaca

Last but certainly not least is Christmas holly, also known as American holly. The very glossy leaves bear several points and remain green year-round. Bright red berries emerge in September and last through December, much to the delight of foraging birds. Christmas holly is a favored decoration during the holiday season, so if you have this planted in your yard, enjoy the free clippings that can be brought inside to make your home festive. Hardy in Zones 5 to 9.

 

Do you have any of these red-berry beauties living in your yard?