Gamekeeper's Request

I was asked this by our local gamekeeper on my walk today. He needs to improve the ground cover in some of the woods where the pheasant release areas are. The plants need to be shrubs rather than herbaceous, shade tolerant, not too rampant and non-thorned. Once upon a time they would have planted Rhododendron ponticum, but that is such a seed weed that in many areas it is considered as bad as Knotweed. The other plant often used was Symphoricarpus (Partridge berry), but that again is a bit of a suckering spreading thug. I thought of Viburnum opulus, native, easy and cheap and possibly V. davidii and maybe V, tinus. Perhaps Amelanchier too, but has anyone any other ideas?
Oh and it needs to be able to be propagated cheaply and quickly and be CHEAP!

 

Cottoneaster springs to mind birds like the berries.

 

Palustris, if you want to grow cotoneaster from seed drop me a PM and I'll send you some.

 

Skimmia?

 

Leycesteria formosa (Pheasant Berry). Tough and easy, and birds like the berries. Very easy to grow from seed.