I’ll give you one guess as to why beautyberries got their name… It’s because they’re so beautiful, of course! The various Callicarpa species are glorious additions to almost any garden, thanks to their distinctive purple fruit. But just like peas go with carrots and peanut butter goes with jelly, beautyberries go with…well, a variety of plants that can be grown just about anywhere. These good matches complement each other by flowering or fruiting together. They also have similar sun, soil and watering requirements: They like full to partial sun, just about any soil and are drought-tolerant once they’re established. If you’re wondering what to plant alongside your beautyberry, consider these just-as-attractive options:
Masses of red fruit top dark green foliage in a loose hedge of red clusterberry.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Cool temperatures cause the stems of red-osier dogwood to change from greenish-yellow to vivid red.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
The white spring flowers of laurustinus transform into beautiful blue fall fruit.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Cotoneasters (pronounced “kuh-tone-ee-asters” – not “cotton-Easters”) make the list of beautyberry companions because of their colorful fruit, which also appears in fall. Red clusterberry or Parney cotoneaster (Cotoneaster coriaceus) is a particularly good selection for lots of reasons. First, this beauty blooms in spring with large clusters of white flowers that later turn to numerous (and gorgeous) red fruit. Second, the shrubby, evergreen plant reaches 6-10 feet tall, making it a popular selection for hedges. (Typically, hedge plants are placed only 2 feet apart, but I think red clusterberry looks best when spaced out and given room to develop.) Red clusterberry can also be trimmed up to form a small tree, but leaving lower branches allows greater access to the fruit. Because the birds usually leave cotoneaster fruit alone, the red color adds winter-long interest. Another bonus to this plant is that it’s tough and requires little maintenance after it’s established.
If you’re searching for a good beautyberry companion with white fruit, try redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea). The common name “osier” is an old word for “willow,” which gives you an idea of how the plant grows (very fast and up to 6-8 feet tall), as well as where it grows (in wet soils). This shrub bears clusters of white flowers in spring and summer, followed by white fruit in late summer and fall. Although the fruit doesn’t last long, the stems provide lots of winter interest: As the weather gets cooler, the greenish-yellow branches change to a vibrant red. Try the cultivar ‘Cardinal’ for glossy, red stems. The stiff, upright stems of redosier dogwood are a good contrast to the arching branches of beautyberry.
Fall-fruiting viburnums are excellent companion plants for beautyberry – and they also look great by themselves! David viburnum () and laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) bear blue berries. David viburnum is common in the Pacific Northwest, but it doesn’t grow well in other parts of the US. The shrub grows about 4 feet tall. Laurustinus grows well in the Northwest and Southeast, where it’s used as a foundation or accent plant. This shrub grows 5-10 feet tall, depending on location and how well it’s treated.
The usual fruit color of linden viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum) is red, but the cultivar ‘Michael Dodge’ bears yellow berries. Linden viburnum is an excellent choice for the Southeast. American cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) has glowing red fruit on long branches. And you’ll get even more color with its burgundy fall foliage. The fruit lasts through winter, eventually drying to resemble raisins on a stick. Both linden viburnum and American cranberrybush grow 8-10 feet tall.
These are just a few colorful companions for your beautiful beautyberries and good options for your landscape gardening. The different colors and textures come together in an amazing show. Add one or two near your beautyberry, or try creating a hedge or specimen. Either way, you’ll wind up with a spectacularly fruitful fall display.
