16 Evergreen Trees With Red Berries: Brilliant Choices

Evergreen trees with red berries are nothing short of miraculous due to their vivid coloring and long-lasting lives. Most of the time, they also provide food for humans and wildlife, but sometimes the red colors can also be a warning not to eat the berries.

If you’ve ever thought about growing some but haven’t gotten around to it, this could be a sign that the time has come. In this guide, we break down popular trees with red berries to help you select the most suitable ones.

List of Evergreen Trees With Beautiful Red Berries

1. Holly Tree

Trees with bright red berries are always attractive, and the Holly Tree is no exception. This tree has glossy deep green leaves, which are punctuated with several sharp spikes. Typically, younger plants have more spiky leaves than the more mature ones.

Its flowers are not remarkable, although its bright red berries are very attractive. This evergreen tree has many symbolic meanings attached to it, from Pagan to modern Christian beliefs.

2. Cherry Tree

There are multiple varieties of cherry trees and these can be generalized into two major types: sweet cherry and sour cherry. Sweet cherries are usually eaten fresh because they are highly perishable. Sour cherries are often processed into various food products, such as jams and preserves.

3. Heavenly Bamboo

Heavenly bamboo is not a real type of bamboo but rather an evergreen tree. It initially produces immature green berries after the flowering period. Once the berries start to mature, they turn a vibrant red, which is quite impressive since they are borne in clusters.

Once the berries ripen, the foliage also changes from emerald green to shades of deep red and purple. This plant is very tough and requires very little maintenance. It can be grown as borders, hedges, and even as a specimen plant. Even better, the heavenly bamboo plant tolerates a fair amount of drought.

4. Japanese Skimmia

This evergreen shrub has a dense, mounded growing habit that can get up to the size of a small tree when mature. Only female plants produce berries. However, you can still place male plants as borders and hedges, especially if your garden has traditional or woodland aesthetics.

5. Peruvian Peppertree

This elegant evergreen shrub has a graceful weeping growth habit. Covered with fine light-green pinnate leaves, the Peruvian peppertree appears to dance whenever there is a slight gust of wind.

Each red berry has a peppery taste, making it a suitable culinary substitute for black pepper. However, you’ll need to wait for the berries to turn a brilliant shade of red before attempting to use it.

6. Scarlet Firethorn

This evergreen shrub with bright red berries certainly lives up to its name. The branches are spiked with a clean, regular growth habit that eventually gets filled with large clusters of scarlet berries. This drought-tolerant shrub works well as a shelter for many migratory birds. Aside from this, the berries also help feed local wildlife.

7. English Yew

This conifer tree has dense, dark green foliage tinged with gold. The leaves hang from arching and pendulous branches that spread out from the main branch. Curiously, it does not bloom but rather produces berry-like cones in attractive shades of red and coral.

8. Spotted Laurel

In spring, this tree produces flowers in pretty purple shades that eventually give way to clusters of bright, shiny red berries. Surprisingly, it thrives when planted as a potted specimen on patios. When fully mature, this colorful berry tree can get to over 9 feet tall and 9 feet wide.

9. Bearberry Cotoneaster

This evergreen shrub produces delicate white flowers that seemingly pop out from the beautiful dense green foliage. At the same time, bright crimson berries dot the whole plant, making the whole plant look incredibly festive. The berries are in bold and bright shades of red, carmine, and scarlet.

10. Chilean Guava

This evergreen tree has fragrant flowers and edible red berries, so what more could you ever ask for? The flowers come out in pale pink and creamy white colors, shaped like bells, and hang pendulously on the branches. Eventually, the blossoms give way to vibrant maroon berries.

These can be eaten raw or turned into jams and preserves. Place the drought-tolerant plant along borders, hedges, and containers to keep it healthy and reduce the risks of becoming invasive.

11. Red Chokeberry

This attractive evergreen shrub begins to show off white flowers with deep red anthers in the spring. As fall approaches, the plant starts to develop bright red fruits while changing its green foliage to red.

The fruits are used to make juice, wine, and jam. Keep this plant in hedges or borders although it’s also perfect as a specimen plant.

12. Mulberry Tree

Mulberry plants are medium-sized shrubs or small trees with light green leaves, white catkin flower clusters, and edible berries. Immature berries start out as white before transitioning into bright red. Mature fruits turn dark purple, indicating their ripeness.

The berries are great sources of antioxidants and have been linked to various health benefits. Presently, studies are ongoing to determine their efficacy.

13. Spindle Tree

This evergreen shrub has attractive red berries that usually come out after summer. The clusters of flowers that proceed the fruits are small, white, and tinged with green hues.

The bark has been used in traditional medicine to treat liver disorders caused by fevers. Additionally, its fresh leaves and dried fruit seeds are externally applied to reduce the presence of scabies, ticks, lice, and other skin parasites.

14. Evergreen Dogwood

This evergreen shrub has very attractive red berries that instantly make people recall the holidays. The berries come out after the showy, round, creamy-white blossoms dot the branches during the warm seasons.

15. Bittersweet Nightshade

Its name alone should be a cause for concern. Even though it belongs to the same family as tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes, the bittersweet nightshade is not ideal to be eaten at all.

Its bright red berries are deceptively attractive, but they also can function as a warning sign. If ingested, the berries can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even death.

16. Red Elderberry

This evergreen berry tree plant can grow up to over 20 feet tall, producing creamy white flowers and masses of clustered red berries. They are quite adaptive to many environments and can easily multiply if left unchecked.

Conclusion

Not all red berries grow equally, as some can be edible while many are not. Before you start buying evergreen plants with red berries, consider the following:

• Ensure that your tree does not pose harm to you, your family, your pets, and the wildlife. Some toxic trees in this list include the Holly Tree, Heavenly Bamboo, and the Japanese Skimmia.
• Where possible, avoid growing plants that are invasive to your area, such as the Holly Tree, Peruvian Peppertree, and the Scarlet Firethorn.
• Evaluate if your selected tree will be ideal for your climate zone.

With all of these plants listed, we’re curious to know which one you’re interested to grow. If you know of other evergreen plants with red berries, let us know in the comments below!

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