Purple Beautyberry In My Woodland Garden
Purple Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) is a hidden gem in my woodland garden. Right now, her gracefully arching branches, whose tips just touch the ground, are a nice feature in the garden but certainly not a show-stopper. In the spring and summer garden, Purple Beautyberry is a true background plant.
Purple Beautyberry grows to about 3′ – 4′ with a slightly wider spread. It is hardy in zones 5 – 8 and prefers a spot in full to partial sun. Mine is planted in a spot that gets about 4 hours of sun each day and it is perfectly happy. I planted it in October last year and I swear it has doubled in size already. In northern growing zones, Callicarpas can be treated like an herbaceous perennial and cut back hard in very early spring. I left mine alone and didn’t prune it at all this year and as you can see it is thriving.
Pretty but not showy
Purple Beautyberry flowers in July – August, here in my zone 6 garden. As you can see from this photo, this shrub is not grown for its flowers. The flowers are an attractive shade of pink but they are tiny; each cluster is about the size of a pea. If you are looking for a showy summer-flowering shrub there are lots of other choices. You could plant Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), Summer Snowflake viburnum(Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Summer Snowflake’) or one of the many hydrangeas, such as Beni-Gaku (Hydrangea serrata ‘Beni-Gaku’).
But in the fall, this unassuming shrub is transformed into Cinderella in my garden. She is cloaked in purple berries from head to toe and the effect is so spectacular it literally makes everyone stop in their tracks. There is no other color in the garden that can rival the exact shade of purple of the berries. And since the berries cover the entire shrub so you should plant it in a spot where you will see it up close every day while it is in berry.
Purple Beautyberry Is Transformed
That is easier said than done in most gardens. In many gardens, space is at a premium and only multi-season performers should get top billing. Personally, I don’t consider any of the Callicarpas to be specimen shrubs since they are just too meek most of the growing season. But, when the berries appear, it’s another story. You need to find an out-of-way but not too hidden spot for it. I planted mine near my driveway, nestled among rhododendrons, hydrangeas and astilbes. Each one has its season to be the belle of the ball but happily fades into the background when it’s time for another plant to take center stage.
