Rewilding My Lot

One of the first plants I installed here in spring 2023 was an American Beautyberry (Centaurea americana) shrub. I planted it close to the house in the back garden (west-facing), thinking that the shade of the house would be enough protection (this plant prefers partial shade). I did not know then how brutal is the afternoon sun in Seguin, and nor did I understand that even native plants can need lots of water when they are getting established (especially when we have weeks of temperatures over 100 degrees F, which we did that year).

Consequently, this poor plant almost did not survive my inexperience. It spent most of that first summer being shaded (poorly) by a plastic chair.

By January 2024, the only viable growth was near the ground.

However, this plant has grown bigger and stronger in the two years since then and seems finally to be thriving.

Now, in July 2026, the American Beautyberry is several feet tall and wide, and while it is still blooming, there are already some of its distinctive vivid purple berries for which it is named. The birds haven’t found those berries yet, but I hope that eventually they will. Bees certainly enjoy the flowers.