• The best landscape plans combine plants that appeal to the eye for a broad variety of reasons. To many, the ideal garden contains plants selected for ornamental appeal provided by contrasting shapes, foliage colors, blooming schedules and fruiting characteristics. Shrubs that produce a showy crop of berries are an important element in the artistic horticulturalist's palette. Birds flock to berry-producing shrubs as well.
  
  

Junipers

• Birds and other animals love the little powder blue berries of the juniper and thank us for providing them by helping to propagate the plant. Juniper berries are also the primary flavoring in gin and a popular ingredient in a variety of savory dishes as well. Chef Seppi Renggli of the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York sprinkles them in the cavities of quail. Juniper plants come in all shapes and sizes. Some are low enough to use as groundcover while others grow in upright pyramidal shapes. Colors of the foliage range from emerald green to blues and yellows. Some turn a reddish bronze in the fall. Junipers can also be trimmed and trained as bonsai or topiary plants. With so much interest and variety, the berries are a pleasant bonus.
  
  

Elderberry

• The elderberry is another shrub whose ornamental berries look--and are--good enough to eat. The elderberry shrub produces large clusters of purple to black berries that ripen in late summer to early fall and are attractive to birds and other wildlife. Gardeners like the fact that elderberries are tolerant of drought and extreme colds. They prefer acidic soils of around pH 5.5 but can tolerate neutral soils as well. Elderberries are nutritious and are widely used in the production of jams, jellies and even wine. Elderberry shrubs prefer good air circulation so should be spaced from 5 to 7 feet apart if planted in groups--a cultivation practice they prefer.
  
  

Snowberry

• Snowberries are aptly named for the white crop of berries they produce in the fall after a summer show of pink, bell-shaped flowers. Later in the season the white berries dry to blue or black. Different varieties of snowberries thrive in climates as diverse as those of southern Florida and the mountains of Utah. Snowberry shrubs spread easily and are used for revegetation of disturbed areas. Most snowberry shrubs are relatively low growing and are therefore accessible to wildlife whose grazing does not reduce their vigor.