Edible Landscaping Bushes

American Cranberry Bush

• The American cranberry bush is a hardy shrub that grows between 6 and 10 feet tall. Use this shrub as an informal hedge when designing your landscaping plan. The American cranberry bush has white flowers that bloom throughout the spring, and the fruit will be bright red and ripe by the end of summer. Cranberries are a choice for wildlife food, and also can be picked to make jams and used in baked goods.

Brambles

• Brambles are an ideal barrier shrub, and work well to give a yard privacy. These produce either blackberries or raspberries, two fruits that can be expensive at a produce market or grocery store. Red raspberry and blackberry bushes can be used as an informal barrier hedge, or trained to grow along a fence line.

Bush Plums

• Bush plums are edible landscaping bushes that grow well in coastal areas. They produce small fruits that are sometimes referred to as cherry plums, Nanking cherries or sand cherries. The fruit is about one-half-inch long, and has a tart taste. The fruits are ideal in jellies and jams. Before the fruit is ripe, this bush will have large white flowers. Bushes mature to between 6 and 10 feet tall.

Currant Bushes

• A currant bush is a small, decorative shrub. In order to produce more fruit, plant an entire hedge of currant bushes. They can be grouped to hide electrical boxes or other unsightly objects in a yard. Currant bushes produce white, red or black fruits. Currants can be made into juices, and eaten fresh. Black currants make a good jam. Currant bushes will grow about 5 feet tall.