Plants that produce berries in autumn and early winter are a boon for birds, providing much-needed food as the weather cools. They also bring colour and interest to gardens at a time when many plants are winding down.
The flip side of these bird-attracting plants is that some popular ornamental berries are now regarded as weeds and no longer recommended for gardens.
Some to avoid include cotoneasters — very popular in gardens up until the 1980s — as well as holly, pyracantha and hawthorn, a prickly shrub or tree that was widely used as