Nature’s Garden
I’m curious to learn if anyone in southwestern Pennsylvania is growing the native beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, successfully. American beautyberry (also called French mulberry for some strange reason) is categorized to be hardy to USDA Zone 7, and marginal to Zone 6, which makes it iffy for our region. If you have ever seen beautyberry in full fruit you would understand why I’m interested in hearing from other local gardeners about this native shrub that grows wild from southwest Maryland down to Florida, and along the southern states west to Texas and Mexico.
American beautyberry has the same haphazard growing habit of forsythia, growing 3 to 6 feet tall. Its flowers-unlike the forsythia’s yellow welcome to spring-are small, white-to-pink in color appearing along the leaf axils. From lower down first, the blooming works its way up the stems well into summer. While the flowers are not very spectacular, what comes from them is!
In late summer and into fall, American beautyberry develops clusters of berries that remind me of a color that teenaged girls would find especially appropriate for their bedrooms or nail polish: purple magenta. These clusters of berries certainly make a statement.
A cultivar of C. americana, var. lectea, produces white berries.
When I visit gardens in the south I admire beautyberry. Again, not for the flowers, or for the foliage, which is decidous, but for those marvelous fall berries.
I’ve seen beautyberry growing well in a suburban Philadelphia garden, in an unprotected location.
So, I suppose even if the plant died back to the ground here over winter, if the root stock remains alive it would send up new stems in the spring.
Fortunately, beautyberry blooms and fruits on new wood. However, a protected area of the garden may be required for success hereabouts with the American native.
If need be, I can resort to a non-American type of beautyberry. Several species from Asia tolerate colder climates.
C. bodinieri, Bodinier beautyberry, from China and C. japonica, Japanese beautyberry, from Japan both can handle Zone 5 with some protection and extra mulching. The berry color of Japanese beautyberry is described as ranging from violet to metallic purple. The cultivar “Leucocarpa” has white berries. Bodinier beautyberry had lilac-magenta berries. Both Bodinier and Japanese beautyberry have a similar growing habit as American beautyberry.
More graceful in growing habit is C. dichotoma, purple beautyberry, which is native to China and Japan. This species blooms June through August, with the fruit ripening in September into fall.
Only growing three to four feet tall, it is hardy to Zone 5. The cultivar ‘Albifructus’ has white flowers and fruit, and grows significantly taller to 8 feet in height.
Purple beautyberry likes full sun and well-drained soil, so this may be the safest bet for a garden in the southwestern Pennsylvania area, but I’m holding on to hope that the American beautyberry can be coddled enough to survive here. Let me know if you grow our native American beautyberry with some degree of success. As a rule, beautyberry is a relatively trouble-free plant, and those fabulous berries would be a great addition for the fall garden.
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Susan Brimo-Cox gardens, observes nature and writes in Ohiopyle. Readers can send questions or comments to her at naturesgarden@brimo-cox.com.
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