The shrubs filled out and are thriving beautifully. We pruned our shrubs for the first time in the early spring, using the thinning-out method of pruning. Both methods will control the size and shape of the shrubs. The shrubs can be cut back to about six inches in the late winter or early spring, or they can be pruned using a thinning-out method, cutting one third of the oldest canes every year when the plants are dormant. While a single shrub can be planted in a mixed border, massing several plants together creates a cascading effect.īeautyberries respond well to pruning, as they flower on new growth each spring. These plants should be given plenty of room in the landscape, as they do spread out over time. Our plants have fared well in this summer’s heat with the help of our in-ground irrigation system. They also are tolerant of drought though they may drop their leaves and berries in extreme drought conditions. While Callicarpa should ideally be grown in loose well-drained soil, they will adapt to a range of soil conditions. The native North American species are the most tolerant of shade. I have noticed two “volunteer” plants in my garden.Īs noted above, these shrubs are tolerant of a range of growing conditions from partial shade to full-sun. However, the plants do reseed themselves, and the seed can be spread by animals. After the leaves fall, the berries will remain on the stems into winter.Ĭalllicarpa can be grown from seed by collecting ripe berries and growing them in pots the first year, before planting them in the garden the following autumn. The stems are slender and develop a lovely weeping effect as they mature, especially under the weight of the maturing berries. Small lavender to pink blossoms appear at each leaf axil in the spring, followed by tight clusters of green berries that turn to bright purple in the fall and winter. These deciduous shrubs have slender, opposite, elliptical to ovate-shaped light green leaves with saw-toothed edges. It grows four to six (to ten) feet high and wide in zones (5) 6 to 8. dichotoma, but also has arching branches. This shrub grows larger and more open than C. It grows three to six feet high and wide in zones 5 to 8.Ĭallicarpa japonica, Japanese beautyberry He praises it for its “graceful, arching, and spreading habit.” This species will thrive in full sun and any well-drained soil. It grows six to ten feet high and wide in zones 6 to 8.ĭirr rates this species from China and Japan as his favorite because it is the most “refined” and compact of the beautyberries. This species from China has a looser, more open growth habit. It is often found growing in moist areas of the woods as an understory plant and is the most tolerant of shade.Ĭallicarpa bodinieri, Bodinier Beautyberry According to Michael Dirr in his Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs, it is “spectacular in fruit, but coarse in texture.” It grows four to eight feet high and wide in zones 6 to 10. This native species grows from Southeast Maryland to Arkansas and south to the West Indies and Mexico. Four common varietiesĬallicarpa americana, American Beautyberry also known as French mulberry, sourbush, bunchberry, or purple beauty-berry. In the United States, there are four species that are typically planted: one native to the southeastern United States and three non-native Asian species. This genus of shrubs and small trees is in the family Verbenaceae. There are about 140 species of Callicarpa worldwide. The rounded drupes, composed of approximately 25 to 30 small purple berries that develop from each leaf axil, have been described as iridescent, metallic, and jewel-like. In so doing, I tried to determine exactly which species of Callicarpa we had planted, as neither my neighbor nor I had kept a record!Ĭallicarpa comes from two Greek words ( callos meaning beauty and carpos, fruit), referring to the most distinguishing feature of these shrubs. Wanting to know more about this genus of shrubs, I turned to the experts. And even after the leaves fall off, the berries will continue to adorn the branches into the winter. As I write this in early September, the berries are beginning to turn from pale green to bright shiny purple. Now, six years later, I can attest to the beauty and grace that this stand of five shrubs, now fully mature, brings to our shared landscape. I knew little about the shrub except that it had stunning clusters of small purple berries that grew atop and around the branches in the late summer and fall. After researching shrubs that would thrive in that part-sun area of the yard, we decided on Beautyberry (Callicarpa). Several years ago, my neighbor and I decided to plant shrubs between the top of our parallel driveways.
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