There are several reasons you might want to add a bush to your garden . They can have gorgeous flower , they keep your garden from reckon au naturel during wintertime , they create a belittled privacy hedging , and they even benefit your local wildlife . While yield may not be at the top of your list of reasons , we have a shrub that might exchange your creative thinker on that ! Beautyberry shrubs , straight to their name , have fantastically beautiful berries . desire to produce your own ? Here ’s what you involve to know about growing a beautyberry shrub and how to care for your beautyberry in winter .
What are beautyberry shrubs?
Beautyberry shrub are a group of shrub in the Callicarpa genus with a fairly wide aboriginal range . There are species aboriginal to North America , South America , Australia , and most of Asia . There are both evergreen and deciduous mixture , and the Chuck Berry are technically comestible ( although the sensitive berries have an unpleasant flavor).Callicarpa americana , the American beautyberry , is discover primarily in the southeastern U.S. It ’s a deciduous mintage , and the berries are sometimes used to make a jam that is much tasty than the sore Charles Edward Berry .
If you ’re not a fan of making your own jelly , then you ’ll be well-chosen to roll in the hay that the Charles Edward Berry are also beneficial for your local bird universe . The berry will stay on the bush for a foresightful clock time , hold out well into winter , entail they are an usable solid food origin when most other plant have run out of berry or seeds . Planting a beautyberry bush is a great way toattract bird to your thousand , especially in late winter when you might be in motive of the joy that come with seeing a bird .
How and when to plant beautyberries
Beautyberries can grow from seed , but the quickest way to get a beautyberry shrub is to get going with a sapling or young shrub from a nursery . you’re able to engraft these nursery saplings in spring or evenfall , while seeds arebest started indoorsduring winter and transplanted into your garden in give . If you choose a nursery flora , be sure you ’re gettingCallicarpa americana , notCallicarpa dichotoma . C. dichotomais unremarkably found in greenhouse , and while it is hardy and beautiful , it is n’t native .
Choose a planting site with well - debilitate soil . Beautyberry shrub are not abysmally particular about soil type , but if the soil is slow or particularly inadequate , then amending it with compost before planting is a honest musical theme . you could also grow your beautyberry plant life in a container , as these shrubs delay fairly small . Be certain the soil and container are both well draining to avoid overwatering it .
Plant your beautyberry in full sun to fond shade . Keep in creative thinker that the more shade your beautyberry gets , the few flowers and berries you ’ll see . So equilibrate sun and shade is important if you require to enjoy the vibrant berries .
Beautyberry plant care
Luckily , beautyberry shrubs are low - maintenance plants . Water your beautyberry semi - regularly for the first few month after plant , keep the soil moist but not soggy . Once they are establish , beautyberry plantscan tolerate droughts , although they produce more flowers and fruit when they have access to even H2O .
Beautyberry shrub typically do n’t need to be fertilized . If you have particularly poor ground , or they are grow in a container without even repotting , then your beautyberry may need a cost increase . Compost is perfect for beautyberries , but you’re able to also opt for a low-down STD of balanced fertilizer formulated for fruiting works . Avoid plant food signify for leafage plant , as these prompt the works to grow more leafage and few flowers .
Beautyberry winter care
wish for your beautyberry in wintertime is as simple as give care for it during outpouring and summertime . Reduce the frequency of your waterings during winter as your shrub goes into dormancy . Avoid fertilizing your beautyberry during winter , as it wo n’t be able to absorb any nutrient while torpid .
The primary difference in caring for your beautyberry in winter is pruning . Since the flowers and berries grow on new branches , pruning your beautyberry realize room for unexampled growth , ensuring a large harvest time . Use sharp , clean shear , andwait until tardy winteror early spring to start out pruning . Otherwise , you ’ll be cut off branches still loaded with berries . Prune no more than one - third of the flora , or else you might stress your plant . Focus on damaged or diseased branch first , then remove a few old branches to free up blank space and trim down the death of branches so the bush is the sizing and form you desire .
Beautyberry shrubs are a great addition to winter garden . They attract birds , brighten up the landscape , and can even be used to make a tasty jam . They ’re easy to get , and now that you ’re familiar with their basic care needs , you could add one ( or more ) to your thousand or garden this year .
