October in My Garden

Closeup of the berries

The show is spectacular but short-lived, because once the birds find the berries among the leaves, it’s game over.

Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana) is a perennial shrub, decidedly easy to grow. The only thing I have to do each year is prune it lightly in the spring to keep the stems tumbling down in a tight formation, otherwise they grow in all untidy directions.