In contrast, S hupehensis has grey summer foliage and pale, pearly fruit which ripens from pink to white. S scalaris is another delight with red fruit and ferny foliage. It is brighter and more yellow than the yolky 'Joseph Rock'. Sorbus 'Sunshine' has startling yellow fruit. They appear in many northern climates around the world, seizing a niche as a pioneer species, and are good in a garden setting. Crimson one day and striped the next, they are easy to establish, but few will overwhelm a garden for they are modestly sized and not invasive of root. Mountain ash are a lovely group of well-behaved trees. Send an R longicuspis or ' Paul's Himalayan Musk' up into a tree that needs an autumnal lift and you will have a cloud of scarlet hips 30ft up. Take for instance the roses, which have been selected for their fruit alone: the flagon-shaped hips of Rosa moyesii, the black hips of the scotch briars or the myriad of hips from the ramblers. My jug of berries is just the beginning other plants are bringing their ornamental value to the garden, with a twist.

The scarlet droops of Viburnum opulus are shining and succulent and hang heavy in the bunch. Euonymus europaeus is a much-underrated native with fruits that are bubble-gum pink and the shape of Turkish turbans, and in cold weather the pods rupture to reveal bright orange seeds. Out on the bushes the rosehips arc away from the plant so that the fiery fruits are suspended in light, and they make fine contrast with the pink of the spindle.

Species Unknown by Dan Carlson