She's a Beauty!

Images: Purple Beauty Berry Bush Callicarpa dichotoma "Early Amethyst". One has flower buds and the other was taken of the berries this week.

I seldom see this little bush in yards and often wonder why it isn't used more. It's such a "beauty"!

"Early Amethyst" is a very heavy-fruiting, early maturing variety with the typical lilac-purple berries. Mine is a small bush - perhaps two foot high and three foot wide at seven years. It is a deciduous shrub from the Verbenaceae family.

It has drooping slender stems with very small pink blooms in the spring. Most people grow this bush for the berries. I've never seen a berry this color on any other bush. The birds like the berries and they are all gone before winter is over. The leaves turn a bright chartreuse in the fall. Both berries and leaves glow in the autumn sun.

This bush should be planted in rich well drained soil in full sun for best performance. It is drought tolerant. I cut mine down to nearly ground level in early spring because it only blooms and sets berries on new growth. It is very late to leaf out. In the beginning, I always thought I had lost it to winter kill but then it would start sprouting.

Never dig up (for dead) a bush until at least an entire year has elapsed with no sign of rebirth. A bad performing plant (bush) may just be an owner who doesn't understand what the plant needs. This plant will be a non performer if it's not cut down in the spring.

It is listed for up to Zone 5a and mine is in a rather protected area (south side of the house, wind protection from fence and other larger plants.) It is suggested you need more than one for maximum berry production, but, mine does perfectly well with just the one (unless I have a neighbor with one which I doubt.)

This bush is beautiful as a specimen but would also make a beautiful mass display in front of other large bushes, trees or it's own individual bed. It doesn't look good if larger plants and flowers are planted beside it and disappears completely if anything bigger is planted in front. This is because the branches droop downward in a cascade fashion. It needs to be planted where it can be viewed on a regular basis up close because the plant and berries are not large.

It is not a typically expensive plant. It's best to buy it from a producer who has grown it in our Zone 5 rather than risk a southern grown bush that won't be as hardy.

Locate and treat this bush as it was meant to be located and treated and it will be one of the "beauty bushes" in your garden!