Sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn starts producing its vivid orange berries within three to four years. It is dioecious, so you need both male and female plants — one male can pollinate up to six females. The thorns are fierce, making harvest tricky; some growers cut whole fruiting branches and freeze them, then shake off the frozen berries. The berries are extraordinarily high in vitamin C and omega fatty acids. The plant thrives in poor, sandy soil and coastal conditions where little else will grow, and it fixes nitrogen. A superb plant for difficult sites.