Mulberry (black)

Black mulberries have a reputation for being slow to fruit, but grafted trees often begin bearing within four to five years — much sooner than the decade sometimes quoted for seedlings. The dark, intensely flavoured fruit is fragile and impossible to buy, which makes growing your own all the more rewarding. They stain everything they touch, so do not plant near paths or washing lines. Black mulberries are very long-lived — centuries, in fact — so you are planting for generations. Self-fertile, and the gnarled mature trees are magnificent.