American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-10b  Find Your Zone >
Plant Type:Â Deciduous Flowering Shrub
Height at Maturity:Â 5-6′
Width at Maturity:Â 5-6′
Spacing:Â Â 4-5′ for solid hedge; 8’+ for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form:Â Arching Stems, Broad, Rounded, Upright
Growth Rate:Â Moderate
Flower Color:Â Pink-lavender
Flower Size:Â Tiny flowers in clusters
Flowering Period:Â Spring
Flower Type:Â Single
Fragrant Flowers:Â Â No
Foliage Color:Â Green
Fragrant Foliage:Â No
Berries:Â Â Yes
Berry Color:Â Â Bright Violet
Sun Needs:Â Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening Sun
Water Needs:Â Â Average
Soil Type:Â Â Clay, Loam, Sand, SiltÂ
Soil Moisture / Drainage:Â Well Drained MoistÂ
Soil pH:Â 5.0 – 7.0 (Acid to Neutral)
Maintenance / Care:Â Very Low
Attracts:Â Birds, Visual Attention
Resistances:Â Deer –Â more info, Disease, Heat, Insect
Description
American Beautyberry is a fast-growing North American native shrub with fragrant, fuzzy green foliage but is more prized for the abundant clusters of colorful, pearl-like berries it produces. In mid-summer, each leaf axil is surrounded by loads of small, soft pink to blue flowers followed by clumps of powerfully bright purple berries that are shaped like small pearls. The leaves turn yellow in the fall and the berries persist through winter or until the birds get them all.Â
The USDA says beautyberry has insecticidal properties that repel mosquitoes, ants, ticks and other pesky critters. We’ve tried it with success. So you can plant this beauty of a shrub near outdoor living spaces to help keep the bugs away and also to make your own insect repellent!
How To Make Mosquito Repellent From The Leaves & Stems Of Beautyberry PlantsÂ
Did you know that the berries from Callicarpa (Beautyberry) can be used to make a tasty jelly and the leaves and stems to make an effective mosquito repellent?
How To make Jelly From The Berries Of Beautyberry Plants
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing in a mound 5-6 feet tall and wide, American Beautyberry is ideal for use as an accent shrub, in groupings, or as a natural hedge in sunny to partially shaded landscape or woodland borders. It is a must for bird gardens and the branches with berries are a great addition to floral arrangements. A fine addition to bird gardens, native plant gardens, cottage gardens, sunny woodland gardens, and purple theme color gardens.Â
Spacing:Â Â 4-5′ for solid hedge; 8’+ for space between plants
How To Measure A Planting Area For Total Square Feet >
How Many Plants to Fill a Planting Area >
Note:Â Â For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a, where this Beautyberry is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
Beautyberry is exceptionally easy to grow and care for with no serious insect or disease problems. Deer and other critters don’t like it either. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution, thriving well even in inner city environments. Choose a sunny to partially shaded site for planting. In warmer climates (Zones 7-8), some shade or filtered sun during the hottest part of summer afternoons is appreciated. Beautyberry is not particular as to soil type or pH. It prefers average to moist conditions however will tolerate periods of dry weather when established.
Helpful ArticlesÂ
Click on the link below to get helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Beautyberry bushes.
How To Plant & Care For Beautyberry >
Plant Long & Prosper!
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Questions? Contact Us!
This was my first order with Wilson Brothers and it will not be my last. I ordered 2- 1 gallon plants. The shipping was quick and they are very responsive to email inquiries. The plants arrived far exceeding my expectations. They arrived beautifully shipped and undamaged. They are super healthy and I got them in the ground immediately. I am simply thrilled over the quality and health of the plants. I am simply thrilled!————————————-Yay!!! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy your purchase for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I absolutely love everything I order from Wilson Brothers. The plants and trees I’ve ordered arrive perfect condition and very healthy. I can’t get plants this healthy from my local nurseries.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy your purchase for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Just received my order today. I will definitely be ordering again from you. Y’all have the packaging down pat! My bushes arrived (delayed by FedEX for 3 days) in great condition and exactly what I had hoped for. Thanks so much!——————————————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I bought a different variety of the Beautyberry last summer and just fell in love with the metallic purple berries, so couldn’t wait to try this one! It arrived looking healthy and even larger than I expected. I can’t wait to see it late summer when the berries come out!———————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
This plant arrived in perfect condition, covered in beautiful purple berries. The packing was very secure and the plant was much larger than other plants We have ordered through the mail. We planted it in October and it is doing well. We are looking forward to watching our beautyberry plant grow strongly in the spring and attract many blue birds.——————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Plants came healthy, securely packaged and well rooted. I love finding native plants.——————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My American Beautyberry arrived in excellent condition, very healthy, and larger than I thought it would be! When I found Wilson Bros (thru an online search) they were out of stock (same as all the nurseries near me) but they contacted me via email shortly after, when one became available. Free 2-day shipping was a great bonus. I know I will be purchasing from Wilson Bros. again. Highly recommended!——————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Wilson Brothers are the best. Plant arrived on time and in great shape. I thought the price was very reasonable. Just great people to work with. I have now made four purchases after discovering them online.——————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I am so thrilled to have received an absolutely healthy, happy beautyberry plant. My plant was well hydrated and very securely packaged and is currently enjoying its new home.——————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Very happy.——————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
First of I have to give 5 Stars for the Packing and Shipping of the Plant, I was very surprised to see this shipping container standing up rite as tall as I am and the plant in side perfectly in tact . . . Fantastic packing job !
Next 5 stars for condition of the plant it looks great and healthy in its dormant state.
Next 5 Stars for planting instructions for both the video and printed ones in shipping container.
I’m Truly Satisfied with the Whole Experience from order to receiving the order and would not hesitate to recommend to anyone your Garden Products and or Service !
Thank You Very Much.—————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks so much for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Next 5 stars for condition of the plant it looks great and healthy in its dormant state.
Next 5 Stars for planting instructions for both the video and printed ones in shipping container.
I’m Truly Satisfied with the Whole Experience from order to receiving the order and would not hesitate to recommend to anyone your Garden Products and or Service !
Thank You Very Much.—————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks so much for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Both specimens arrived healthy and were planted immediately. They both are beginning to leaf out and I’m pleased with their progress.————————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
Got it and it and it is happily in the ground. Thanks.——————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
The shrubs arrived in good condition, thank you! I planted them immediately in full sun and according to your directions. They have very few berries at this point. Is that normal for young beautyberries? Thank you.————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
This arrived at a good size and with berries already on the branches! It took me a couple of days to get it in the ground, but once I did it was very happy. It’s so healthy and beautiful already, and after 2 weeks the birds are just starting to find it.——————————————We are so glad you and the birds are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
I ordered the American Beautyberry shrub and it was delivered promptly and in great shape!————————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
Plant arrived in wonderful, happy, and healthy condition. Packaging was the best I have ever seen, and the condition of the plant on arrival showed how effective the packaging and moisture control was. We could not be happier. We will be revisiting Wilson Bros again in the future. Thank you guys for the care you show your customers and plant stock.——————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
I have enclosed a photo of my Callicarpa americana purchased from you last month. It is doing wonderfully and putting out new growth with flowers. I have my BA in botany from WVU, and both MA & PhD’s in botany from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I posted on the WV Wildflower Pilgrimage page what is in quotes below. This year, the Pilgrimage was cancelled for Mother’s Day weekend–it would have been my 39th as a botanical leader–and we did a virtual one via FB page.
My FB posting about Callicarpa americana:
“Sometimes you can have what you thought you could not have. Years ago, on fall field trips in North and South Carolina with my major professor’s, Dr. Albert E. Radford, classes, I encountered one of the most beautiful plants I had ever seen. Of course, it was deemed to be not hardy this far north and I had to give up ever having one. Low and behold, I found a nursery in Georgia when looking for a magnolia to replace the 3 80-year-old white pines at the end of my driveway (they do not age well and had to be removed).
When looking through their stock, I found Callicarpa americana aka beautyberry, my dream shrub. Further it is hardy to zone 6A and I am 6B. It is also deer resistant. I ordered one and have it planted off my porch where I will be able to see it well. There is an Asian species which is hardier, but it pales in comparison to our native one. Mine is in bloom now, putting out new growth with more bloom and I anticipate the spectacular metallic magenta clusters of berries this fall.”
The plants arrived in beautiful condition.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My FB posting about Callicarpa americana:
“Sometimes you can have what you thought you could not have. Years ago, on fall field trips in North and South Carolina with my major professor’s, Dr. Albert E. Radford, classes, I encountered one of the most beautiful plants I had ever seen. Of course, it was deemed to be not hardy this far north and I had to give up ever having one. Low and behold, I found a nursery in Georgia when looking for a magnolia to replace the 3 80-year-old white pines at the end of my driveway (they do not age well and had to be removed).
When looking through their stock, I found Callicarpa americana aka beautyberry, my dream shrub. Further it is hardy to zone 6A and I am 6B. It is also deer resistant. I ordered one and have it planted off my porch where I will be able to see it well. There is an Asian species which is hardier, but it pales in comparison to our native one. Mine is in bloom now, putting out new growth with more bloom and I anticipate the spectacular metallic magenta clusters of berries this fall.”
The plants arrived in beautiful condition.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I received a well-developed healthy plant. It is growing well. I look forward to the beautiful berries later this year.——————————-Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG
Shrub came packaged exceptionally well and was as described. Would not hesitate to shop Wilson Bros for future garden needs.——————————————-We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG
Thought I would try buying from (a new to me) company, after years of disappointments from other companies: the plants would arrive damaged, dead, or even the wrong species, Wow! was I surprised when my order arrived from Wilson Bros. The plant was healthy, well packed and looked like I had just picked it up from a local nursery.Wow again folks, you have gotten a new repeat customer!———————-Thanks so much for the great review! Beth | WBG
I’m wary of buying shrubs online because you never know what they will look like, or how they will do during shipping. I bought a Sweetshrub and American Beautyberry and BOTH looked like I had gone to a garden center and picked them out myself! The 3-gallon Beautyberry is stunning. I have not been able to find a local seller, but buying from Wilson Brothers is not disappointing. The plant was FULL of flowers and new berries, and is doing very well after being in the ground for a couple of weeks now. The packaging is robust and held up during shipping. I’m looking forward to years with this plant and I will definitely buy from Wilson Brothers in the future. The price of the plant is worth it for fast, FREE shipping AND healthy, mature plants.———————————————–Hi Kinsey, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the American Beautyberry. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the awesome review! 🙂
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
I just have to say this was the best looking plant we have ever received from mail order nurseries. The packing was great also. It was in the ground an hour after receiving and it looks great. I will definitely use Wilson Brothers Gardens for any future ordering.
Thanks!—————————WBG Reply: Hi Jerry, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the American Beautyberry. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Thanks!—————————WBG Reply: Hi Jerry, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the American Beautyberry. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Love the purple berries and so excited to find them at Wilson Bros Garden on-line service. Thank you again for the quick delivery. The plants are healthy and have a few berries. One plant looks a bit happier than the other. I am sure they will grow and be beautiful! ———————- WBG Reply: Hi Sheila – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the beautyberry bushes and we hope you enjoy them for years to come. Thanks also for the nice photos. Since they’re a native deciduous plant, we allow the beauty to grow more naturally resulting in each plant being unique. Keep us posted as to how both of your plants do and let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
I love Wilson Brothers. Their prices are reasonable, the plants healthy and well-packed, and a good size. They are far superior to online sources like Park Seed, Jackson and Perkins, Wayside, Bluestone, etc. whose prices are high, the shipping costs are high, and the products small. I recently received a beautiful beautyberry bush from Wilson Brothers; it was a good size and healthy and well-packed. I have had it four to five weeks and it is already 30% larger than when I received it. ——————— WBG Reply: Hi Carol – Thanks so much for your review and all the compliments – it makes everything we do even more worth the while. Many online nurseries are selling small plants that we growers call “liners,” which are little starter plants that really aren’t ready to plant in the landscape. We use these liner/starter plants to grow out larger plants in larger container sizes that are ready upon arrival to plant and thrive for years to come in your gardens. Of course this growing process can take up to 18 months for a finished 1-gallon size plant and up to 36 months for a 3-gallon size plant. Many nurseries don’t want to take the time necessary to grow larger plants…we do. Thanks again and let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
The packaging and condition of the plant was superior! I was very impressed and pleased. And it is so very convenient for me to be able to buy online and have plants as large as 5 gallons delivered to my door. Many of the plants you sell I cannot buy in my local area even if they are native. So Wilson Bros. fulfills a gap for me. On a scale of 1-10 you get a 10! ——————- WBG Reply: Hi Catherine – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review and for all the compliments. We love to hear your rating of “10”…it makes everything we do even more worth the while! Hope you enjoy your beautyberry bush for years to come. Let us know if there’s ever anything we can help you with – we’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
Just love the little Berries on these. Very pretty plant sent by Wilson Bros. The USDA says these have insecticidal properties. The mosquitoes are bad in Summer here. Excited to see if this makes a difference. ——————- WBG Reply: Hi Charlene – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review. Do let us know if your beautyberry helps to repel the mosquitoes. And also let us know if there’s ever anything we can help you with – we’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens





















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