Skip to content

Plant Finder

shrub

Japanese Beautyberry

Callicarpa japonica

Add To My Wish List

 
Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) at Dutch Growers Garden Centre

Japanese Beautyberry fruit

Japanese Beautyberry fruit

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) at Dutch Growers Garden Centre

Japanese Beautyberry

Japanese Beautyberry

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) at Dutch Growers Garden Centre

Japanese Beautyberry flowers

Japanese Beautyberry flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  6 feet

Spread:  6 feet

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade 

Hardiness Zone:  6a

Description:

As its name implies, this garden shrub is grown primarily for its unusual and highly attractive shiny violet fruit, also pretty lavender-pink flowers; bushy and arching habit of growth, can be pruned back to the ground in spring as it blooms on new wood

Ornamental Features

Japanese Beautyberry is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. It features an abundance of magnificent violet berries from mid to late fall. It has lavender trumpet-shaped flowers with pink overtones along the branches in mid summer, which are interesting on close inspection. It has bluish-green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall colour.

Landscape Attributes

Japanese Beautyberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Japanese Beautyberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Japanese Beautyberry will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America.

At Dutch Growers, we treat this plant as a "HOBBY PLANT". It is not officially recognized as winter-hardy in our zone 3, however, there is a strong liklihood that it will survive winter. Warranty expires on Nov. 1 season of purchase.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Garden 
Applications
Flowers  Fruit 
Ornamental Features