Beauty Bush - Lin Frye

Beauty Bush, a photo by linfrye on Flickr.

9" x 12"
Arches 140#CP

The show in my garden this time of year is the American Beauty Berry (Callicarpa americana) - also known as French Mulberry. I have two varieties - this purple, and a white, more drooping shrub. Both take center stage.

This medium sized shrub is native to our area and can be grown in zones 5-10. The show-stopper, though are the bright purple to metallic berries - beloved by all types of birds. The flowers and leaves appear late in the spring, at least in my garden, but the berries last through most of the winter, and for the white variety, those wonderful drooping stems add a wonderful winter interest.

Though the leaves are greener in summer, aleady mine have turned a muted olive and are soft and a bit fuzzy to the touch. It's a fast-growin shrub, and I have to admit, I seem to be finding a number more volunteers each year. These can be transplanted. I find that the white variety, at least where it is growing now, seems to reproduce a bit faster than the purple.

Hope your week is fabulous!

Lin Frye
North Carolina