Illustration
Beautyberry
Callicarpa
Beautyberry blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Beautyberry
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–8. Expect it to reach about 5 ft tall and 5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, 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, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
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. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 8, 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; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Beautyberry get?
5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult5 ftwideSee Beautyberry in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Beautyberry
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Beautyberry about 5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Beautyberry to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Beautyberry's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 15 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- edis.ifas.ufl.eduUniversity of Florida IFAS Extension EDIS FPS90 (Callicarpa americana)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- edis.ifas.ufl.eduUniversity of Florida IFAS Extension EDIS FPS92 (Callicarpa japonica)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenCallicarpa americanaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenCallicarpa dichotomaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenCallicarpa japonicaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionCallicarpa americanaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionCallicarpa dichotomaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionCallicarpa bodinieriheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionCallicarpa japonicaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionCallicarpa japonicaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionCallicarpa dichotomaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information Centergenus pageheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterCallicarpa americanaheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenCallicarpa bodinieriheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- University of Illinois ExtensionThe Garden Scoop: Beautyberryheight, hardiness zones and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 5 varieties across 2 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Beautyberry group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | Purple | Aug–Oct | Zones 6–10 | Part sun | 6 ft × 6 ft |
| Beautyberrythis page | Purple | Jun–Jul | Zones 5–8 | Part sun | 5 ft × 5 ft |
| Early Amethyst | Purple | Aug–Oct | Zones 5–8 | Part sun | 4 ft × 5 ft |
| Pearl Glam | Foliage | Aug–Oct | Zones 5–8 | Part sun | 5 ft × 4 ft |
| Profusion | Purple | Aug–Oct | Zones 5–8 | Part sun | 6 ft × 6 ft |
| White | White | Aug–Oct | Zones 5–8 | Part sun | 5 ft × 5 ft |
Good to know about Beautyberry
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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.
Goldenrod
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
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; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Periwinkle
Takes part sun to part shade and low to moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants.
Azalea
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
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; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Flowering Dogwood
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 23 ft, for the layer behind it.
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; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Flowering Crabapple
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 20 ft, for the layer behind it.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.