A native eastern + central North American multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with dentate (toothed) foliage, white spring flower clusters, blue-black drupes, and reliable fall color. Especially valued for wildlife — among the most-cited native shrubs for fall-migration bird forage.

A native eastern North American multi-stemmed deciduous shrub or small tree with white spring flower clusters, edible dark-blue drupes, and red-purple fall foliage. Among the most adaptable native viburnums; tolerates a wide range of soil + light conditions.

A deciduous European hedgerow shrub or small tree grown above all for one of the most arresting autumn shows of any native woody plant — rosy-pink, four-lobed fruit capsules that split to reveal vivid orange-coated seeds, hanging against red-purple foliage. Native across Europe and into western Asia (POWO, Kew), it is a tough, undemanding plant for hedgerows and informal screens that genuinely earns its keep for wildlife: insect-pollinated flowers in spring, seeds taken by birds, and aphid colonies that feed ladybirds and hoverflies. The honest pitch, and it is load-bearing: every part of this plant is toxic if eaten and the colourful fruit is especially so, so it must be sited away from where children might be tempted; it is also a primary winter host of the black bean aphid, so keep it well clear of a vegetable plot. With those two caveats respected, it is a dependable, wildlife-rich native — chosen for honest autumn drama, not for being trouble-free.

The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is a handsome evergreen of the heath family that earns its keep through one striking trick: in autumn it carries white, urn-shaped flowers and round, warty, red strawberry-like fruit on the plant at the same time, against dark glossy leaves and peeling red-brown bark. Native to the Mediterranean region and, unusually, western Ireland (POWO, Kew), it is a tough, drought- and lime-tolerant shrub or small tree for mild gardens — but only moderately cold-hardy (roughly USDA zone 7 and warmer), so it is not a plant for hard-winter areas. RHS gives it the Award of Garden Merit and rates it hardy in most of the UK in mild areas (H4). The fruit is edible but bland and mealy fresh — its name unedo, 'I eat one', is a fair warning — and is mostly used cooked for jams and liqueurs.

A large, vigorous, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub grown above all for its intensely fragrant pure-white flowers, which open in cupped clusters in late spring to early summer and carry a rich scent very like orange blossom. Native to southeastern Europe and the Caucasus region (not North America), it forms an arching, dense, oval mound 10-12 feet tall and is one of the most reliable old-fashioned fragrance shrubs for full sun to part shade — easy, cold-hardy, and undemanding once established, though its display is a single, glorious, several-week burst rather than a long season.

A drought-and-flood-tolerant native shrub of eastern North America with brilliant three-season interest — spring white-pink flowers, glossy black antioxidant-rich late-summer berries, and brilliant wine-red fall foliage — plus an extraordinarily wide cold-hardiness range (USDA 3a-8b). The berries are astringent fresh but the basis of a small but growing commercial industry (juices, wines, jams, supplements) for their exceptionally high anthocyanin content. Spreads by suckers; site where colony formation is welcome.