Beautyberry
Callicarpa
Beautyberry blooms from June through July.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Beautyberry
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–8. Expect it to reach about 4.9 ft tall and 4.9 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years.
When to plant Beautyberry
Plant Beautyberry in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 8 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Comes in 5 varieties across 2 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Beautyberry
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Raw berries are astringent and nearly flavorless; eating a large quantity raw can cause mild stomach upset. Not a serious poison, and fine cooked into jelly. per Wildflower Center
Worth knowing
Crushed leaves were rubbed on skin to keep off biting insects. USDA chemists isolated the compound callicarpenal, which repelled mosquitoes about as well as DEET. per USDA
Hardiness depends on species
The native C. americana is a warm-climate shrub (roughly zones 6 to 11); the Asian C. dichotoma is hardier at about 5 to 8. Match species to your winter. per NC State and Clemson
Asian species can be invasive
The native C. americana is a welcome naturalizer from bird-spread seed, but Clemson flags the Asian species (C. dichotoma, C. japonica) as potentially invasive. Check your local list first. per Clemson and University of Florida
The signature fall berries
Small berries encircle the stems in tight whorls, ripening from green to an iridescent purple-violet through September and October, and holding on after the leaves drop. per NC State
Fruits on new wood
It flowers and fruits on the current season's growth, so an optional hard cutback to about 1 ft in late winter drives a heavier berry crop that same year. per Clemson
A magnet for birds
The ripe berries feed many birds (robins, brown thrashers, purple finches, towhees) and small mammals like raccoons, opossums and foxes; birds usually strip them by winter. per NC State
Only partly deer-resistant
Often sold as deer-resistant, but only partly: deer browse C. americana leaves in summer and eat the berries. Treat it as deer-tolerant, not deer-proof. per NC State
What pairs well with Beautyberry
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Candytuft
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Bugleweed
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Rock Cress
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; low at 4 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Azalea
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; echoes the pink.
Autumn Crocus
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall, extending the bed's season; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; purple sits close to pink on the wheel.
Snowdrop
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; low at 5 in, to carpet the ground beneath; its white flowers settle the pink.
Flowering Dogwood
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; taller at 23 ft, for the layer behind it; its white flowers settle the pink.
Fountain Grass
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
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