Callicarpa americana
American beauty berry, Beauty berry, French mulberry
- Height × spread
- 3m × 3m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
An interesting shrub that should be hardy in the warmer parts of the British Isles. It has large, broad leaves with long pointed tips, the leaves have impressed veins and are of rugged appearance. They are held on long slender arching branches. In late summer there are small, often hardly noticed, clusters of flowers which may occur in different colours of blue or red. These are followed by the autumnal display of purple fruits. These are in large clusters, wrapped round the plum-brown young branches. Give this a warm sunny sheltered spot with fertile well-drained soil.
- Flower colour
- Blue, Red
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Purple
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 3m
- Spread
- 3m
- Height in 10 years
- 2m
- Spread in 10 years
- 2m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Structural, Bee attraction, Bird attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Spring - early · Planting
Prune hard to the base
Prune back to within 30cm to 45cm of the plant base so that the year's growth will begin from this low framework. If you want the plant to grow larger, this need only be done every few years.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Found in
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