American Beautyberry

American Beautyberry is a must-have, eye-catching shrub for habitat gardens. While the small summer blossoms are not particularly showy, they provide a ready source of nectar to pollinators, such as Spring Azure butterflies and honeybees. American Beautyberry blooms on new growth; prune back old canes in winter to rejuvenate plants and encourage new shoots in spring. Autumn fruits attract a diversity of birds to feast, including the Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Gray Catbird, Hermit Thrush, Purple Finch, and Eastern Towhee. American Beautyberry shrubs grow in moist woods, rich bottomlands, coastal plains, and swamp edges from Virginia south to Florida, and west to coastal Texas. Plants tolerate any well-drained soil and are drought tolerant once established. They look right at home in the sunny butterfly garden or in the filtered shade among Oakleaf Hydrangea and Aromatic Aster.