Rewilding My Lot

I planted a Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra) in 2023. I didn’t realize until I got it home that it was a dwarf variety, so it’s likely to grow in a shrubby form and only reach a height of 4 feet or so.

It’s a pretty little thing, and one of the latest to wake up in spring. In both of its winters here it has frozen back to the ground but then grown new shoots in about March. As of September 2025 it is 30 inches tall and 45 inches wide, with all of that growth occurring this year.

My Barbados Cherry is currently beginning to bloom and covered with tiny buds and flowers. It is a host plant for several butterflies (Brown-banded Skipper, White-patched Skipper, Florida Duskywing, Cassius Blue — although I haven’t noticed any of those here), and birds enjoy the bright red berries. The berries are also edible by humans (tart and high in vitamin C), but apart from an occasional taste I plan to leave them for the birds.