(Japanese Beautyberry)

True to its name, 'Heavy Berry' produces masses of vibrant violet berries that persist from late summer into early winter. It also features attractive foliage and a relatively compact habit. It is a cultivar of Callicarpa japonica, a small to medium-sized, hardy, deciduous shrub from woodlands of Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and eastern China.

The medium-green, puckered, oval leaves of 'Heavy Berry' are oppositely paired along slender, arching stems. The leaves have serrated edges and tapered...

(Japanese Beautyberry)

Callicarpa japonica 'Leucocarpa' is an arresting sight in fall and early winter when clusters of creamy white fruits adorn its branches. Its parent species is native to woodlands of Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and eastern China.

The light- to medium-green, oval to lance-shaped leaves of this small to medium-sized, hardy, deciduous shrub are oppositely paired along slender, arching stems. The foliage turns dull yellow in fall, sometimes taking on purple tints. In late spring or early summer,...

(Crimson Bottlebrush)

Named and grown for its fuzzy spikes of bright red flowers, crimson bottlebrush is a large, spreading, evergreen shrub or small tree native to eastern Australia. It has stiff, flat, narrow, lance-shaped, green leaves which are coppery colored when young and which emit a lemony aroma when crushed. The flowers appear in heaviest abundance in spring and summer, attracting hummingbirds. The fruits are cup-shaped, small and woody and release hundreds of tiny seeds. The bark is gray to grayish brown in...

Named and grown for its fuzzy spikes of bright red flowers, crimson bottlebrush is a large, spreading, evergreen shrub or small tree native to eastern Australia. It has stiff, flat, narrow, lance-shaped, green leaves which are coppery colored when young and which emit a lemony aroma when crushed. The flowers appear in heaviest abundance in spring and summer, attracting hummingbirds. The fruits are cup-shaped, small and woody and release hundreds of tiny seeds. The bark is gray to grayish brown in...

(Compact Crimson Bottlebrush, Crimson Bottlebrush)

Named and grown for its fuzzy spikes of bright red flowers, crimson bottlebrush is a large, spreading, evergreen shrub or small tree native to eastern Australia. It has stiff, flat, narrow, lance-shaped, green leaves which are coppery colored when young and which emit a lemony aroma when crushed. The flowers appear in heaviest abundance in spring and summer, attracting hummingbirds. The fruits are cup-shaped, small and woody and release hundreds of tiny seeds. The bark is gray to grayish brown in...

(Erect Bottlebrush, Rigid Bottlebrush)

New leaves are light yellow-green and fuzzy but then mature to dark green and stiff on the stiff bottlebrush. It is showiest anytime from very late winter into late summer when branch tips are crimson-red spikes of bristled flowers. This evergreen large shrub is native to east-central Australia in Queensland and New South Wales. Its branches are a ghostly gray-beige with mildly corky dark sandy brown bark.

The dark green leaves are stiff and linear to lance-shaped although when first emerging...

(Clemson Hardy Bottlebrush, Red Cluster Bottlebrush)

Fuzzy new leaves are light yellow-green and rose but then mature to dark green and stiff on the Red Cluster bottlebrush. Botanical known as 'Clemson Hardy', it is showiest anytime from very late winter into late summer when branch tips have crimson-red spikes of bristled flowers. This evergreen large shrub is native to east-central Australia in Queensland and New South Wales. Its branches are a ghostly gray-beige with mildly corky dark sandy brown bark.

The dark green leaves are stiff and linear...

(Weeping Bottlebrush)

Usually grown as a small multi-stemmed tree or large shrub, this narrow-leaved evergreen from eastern Australia has weeping branches that produce fuzzy clusters of bright red flowers in spring and sporadically thereafter. Its light-green leaves are flushed with bronze when new. Several cultivars are available, including the dwarf 'Little John'.

Grow weeping bottlebrush in full sun and well-drained fertile soil. A nice specimen tree for the border or patio, it can also be massed for screening....

(Little John Dwarf Bottlebrush, Weeping Bottlebrush)

Often grown as a small multi-stemmed tree, weeping bottlebrush is a narrow-leaved evergreen native to eastern Australia. Its dwarf cultivar 'Little John' offers the same bright red fuzzy flower clusters but on a dwarf, dense, rounded shrub. The hummingbird-attracting flowers continue through much of the year. The blue-green leaves are flushed with bronze when new.

Grow 'Little John' in full sun and well-drained fertile soil. A nice specimen tree for the border or patio, it can also be used as...

(China Aster)

China aster is a bushy annual that is native to China. There are many varieties of flowers in this species which are classified as peony flowered, anemone flowered, ostrich feather and pompon. They bloom from summer to fall and come in a range of colors from purple, blue violet, crimson, rose-pink, white or yellow. Often their stems can be somewhat crooked or open, adding to its visual peculiarity.

Callistephus chinensis can be planted in loam or sandy soil in well-drained conditions...