Will birds eat Beautyberry bush berries?
catherinet
17 years ago
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jenny_in_se_pa
17 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Best Bird Netting for Berry Bushes?
Comments (11)IKEA sells these white, polyester 'curtains/sheers', approximate size 8' x 10 1/2' for $5. We bought them several years ago for a princess birthday party for my gd, but IKEA still sells them at the same price. I covered my peach tree with two panels, that I sewed together and was able to harvest tons of peach for the first time instead of the squirrels getting them all. This is my Fuyu persimmon protected by one panel, and I will be able to eat more persimmons then in the past!...See MoreBerry Bush? Safe to eat? What is it?
Comments (8)I don't think having planted "relatives" like eggplant and tomato would bring this wild plant to your yard except insomuch as it may enjoy similar soil. But it seems to me that the "deadly nightshade" (with red berries) that grows in my yard isn't all that fussy about soil composition. It'll pop up everywhere. The good news is that nightshade is usually pretty easy to pull up. It'll come back, of course, unless you really dig up the roots, but it's not like trying to pull up a deep taprooted plant or even something like crabgrass....See Moreanyone try wintersowing beautyberry bush?
Comments (15)Answering the last question first, I took the picture a couple of weeks ago. The berries are bright purple now, so I guess I can harvest some and leave some for the birds. I planted seeds a couple of years ago and honestly don't remember any of them sprouting. One of two things happened: I re-used the soil and the seeds got planted out with other plants, or the bushes I have were not planted by me, but by a bird. This is the only bush I have with berries, but I have another nice sized one and a couple seedlings (I think they are beautyberry because the leaves look the same). The randomness of locations is why I think the birds helped out. From what I have read, there are a few seeds inside each berry. I have not tried harvesting any yet. Becky...See MoreBeautyberry bush
Comments (10)Not all callicarpas are native. Only C. americana is and it's not the most showy of all, though it is the largest one (6-8'). C. bodinieri ('Profusion', 'Early Amethist' etc) is of Chinise origin (5-6' tall) and C. dichotoma ('Issai') is from Japan (3-4' tall and as wide). All callicarpas are root hardy to z5 and stem hardy to z6, so in z5 it could be grown similarly to caryopteris or buddleia i.e. cut to 6" above the ground every spring and you'll still have flowering and berry production notwithstanding as it blooms on new wood. Shrub is practicaly desease free and seldom bothered by pests. Fruits are edible, but so bitter that even birds leave them alone untill nothing else left to eat. Therefore in a good years they persist on a bush till December-January. It's not soil demanding and could grow practicaly everywhere where drainage is not an issue. Poor soils, high or low pH is OK. Best suited for a sunny edge of the woods, but could take some shade. In such case flower/fruit production will be slightly, but insignificantly reduced. For the best cross polination (fruit production) another shrub of the same or different origin could be planted nearby. Great shrub for the fall-early winter interest, but nothing special for the rest of the year except brief period of spring bloom which usually goes unnoticed since flowers are small and covered by leaves....See Morejean001
17 years agoego45
17 years agolaceyvail 6A, WV
17 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years agocatherinet
17 years agocatherinet
17 years agocfmuehling
17 years agoLoretta NJ Z6
17 years agoshrubs_n_bulbs
17 years agojean001
17 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
17 years agoHU-534977173
3 years ago
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7