Rewilding My Lot

I bought an American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) in the spring of 2023 because of how stunning the purple berries are and I had fond memories of my Houston plant. The Seguin plant has been through a lot of trauma since then, with last summer’s drought and then the January freeze earlier this year.

Here’s a timeline of spring recovery. This is how the plant looked in January 2024.

This is March 2024.

And this is May 2024.

Clearly it’s now looking a lot happier and I hope to do a better job of nursing it through the next summer. In truth, I don’t have enough shade for this plant yet and it’s at risk of baking in the afternoon sun. So this is one plant that will probably be getting some extra water during the summer heat.

At the moment, there are tiny inconspicuous flowers (bees like them), which are in contrast to the showy berries that will come later (enjoyed by birds).