One of the most eye-popping sights in autumn gardens is a small shrub with clusters of bright purple berries along arching stems of golden leaves. “At a time when many other plants are fading, beautyberry really has its moment,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
Purple beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) is a small shrub from western Asia that grows 3 to 4 feet tall and prefers full sun to part shade. Although it’s mostly grown for its berries, it has small, delicately pink flowers in summer.
Beautyberry is generally hardy in Chicago’s Zone 5. “If it dies back to the ground in a harsh winter, it will resprout in spring and have berries the same year,” Yiesla said. The display of purple berries against leaves that turn from green to yellow has the most impact if you plant more than one of the shrubs, Yiesla said. A group of beautyberries of the Early Amethyst cultivar is an attention-grabber at the entrance to The Grand Garden at the Arboretum.
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Beautyberry is not the only garden-worthy shrub that has eye-catching fall or winter berries. If you feel your yard needs more autumn oomph, consider these:
Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia). After the leaves turn red and drop, scarlet berries can persist into January on this large North American shrub. The cultivar Brilliantissima is more compact, up to 4 feet tall, with an especially red fall color and abundant fruit.
Coralberry (Symphoricarpus orbiculatus). Coral-red berries appear in bunches along arching stems and persist for several months on this low-growing, spreading shrub. In the wild down in Missouri and elsewhere in the South, coralberry forms large thickets.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). This native species of holly loses its leaves in fall but keeps its bunches of fire-engine-red berries. As is typical of hollies, you need both male and female plants to get the fruit. “One male shrub can pollinate several females, but it’s important to choose the right male cultivar for the female cultivar you choose,” Yiesla said. For example, Jim Dandy is the male pollinator for the female cultivars Afterglow, Berry Heavy®, Berry Nice®, or Red Sprite.
Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica). Once the dense, fragrant, glossy green leaves fall, clusters of small ice-blue berries take the stage on this large shrub. Tough, drought-tolerant bayberry is native to the East Coast and is useful for sites with poor soil or for slopes. Bayberry is a large shrub, but the Silver Sprite™ cultivar (Myrica pensylvanica ‘Morton’), developed at the Arboretum, is somewhat more compact and has more berries. Since cross-pollination is necessary to get berries, plant both the female cultivar, Morton, and the male cultivar, Morton Male.
For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.