Pearl Glam Beautyberry

Callicarpa x ‘Pearl Glam’

Plant Details

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 5a-8b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 4-5′

Width at Maturity: 3-4′

Spacing: 3′ apart for hedge; 7’+ apart for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Bushy

Growth Rate: Moderate

Flower Color: White

Flower Size: Tiny, in clusters

Flowering Period: Summer

Flower Type: Clusters of single flowers

Fragrant Flowers: No

Berries: Yes

Berry Color: Violet Purple, Orchid

Foliage Color: Purple

Fragrant Foliage: No

Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Afternoon Filtered Sun or Dappled Shade, Morning Shade with Afternoon Sun

Water Needs: Average

Soil Type: Clay (Amended), Loam, Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Moist But Well Drained

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 (Acid to Slightly Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Low

Attracts: Birds, Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Insect

Description

A three-season foliage and flower color factory, Pearl Glam Beautyberry, a Callicarpa hybrid, starts off the warm season with dark purple foliage in spring that holds it’s color all season long. White flowers in summer are then followed by abundant clusters of bright, violet-purple berries up and down the branches in fall that persist into winter. The berry-laden branches are excellent for cutting to add to fall floral displays. Birds relish the berries and the plant itself is great for housing and feeding birds. Its upright growth habit allows Purple Pearls to fit in garden spaces conventional beautyberry varieties won’t fit.

The USDA says beautyberry has insecticidal properties that repel mosquitoes, ants, ticks and other pesky critters. We’ve tried it with success. So you can plant this beauty of a shrub near outdoor living spaces to help keep the bugs away and also to make your own insect repellent!

How To Make Mosquito Repellent From The Leaves & Stems Of Beautyberry Plants

Did you know that the berries from Callicarpa (Beautyberry) can be used to make a tasty jelly and the leaves and stems to make an effective mosquito repellent?

How To make Jelly From The Berries Of Beautyberry Plants

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing with a more upright habit 4 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, the Pearl Glam Beautyberry is ideal for use in the garden as a specimen, in groupings, or as a very colorful natural hedge. An absolute must for bird gardens and a fine addition to purple theme gardens, wildlife habitats, flowering shrub borders and cottage gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 3 feet apart for solid hedge; 7 feet or more apart for space between plants

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5a, where this Beautyberry variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

The Pearl Glam Beautyberry is exceptionally easy to grow and care for with no serious insect or disease problems. Deer and other critters don’t like it either. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution, thriving well even in inner city environments.

Choose a sunny to partially shaded site for planting. Foliage color is more intense with more sun. In warmer climates (Zones 7-8), some shade or filtered sun during the hottest part of summer afternoons is appreciated. Purple pearls is not particular as to soil type or pH. It prefers average to moist conditions however will tolerate periods of dry weather when established.

Maintenance is little to none. No pruning is required however some gardeners cut it back to the ground in late winter or early spring to control size. Because it blooms on new wood (the current seasons growth), a one-time late winter or early spring pruning doesn’t effect flowering or berry production.

Helpful Articles

Click on the link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, prune, fertilize and water Beautyberry bushes.

How To Plant & Care For Beautyberry

Plant Long & Prosper!

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In our crazy climate of triple digit temps, severe drought and winter temps down to 0° I thought there was no way my beauty berry would survive, but it has thrived! I’m so pleased that I bought it. Thank you so much for your superb care of the plants before they get to us. It makes all the difference.————————————————-Tjanks so much for the photo! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

This bush arrived in great shape and looked very healthy. Can’t wait till next spring to see it grow and prosper.———————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

We ordered two of these beautiful bushes. They arrived carefully wrapped with no damage. They are doing very well where planted, and we are looking forward to watching them flourish through the seasons.——————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The beautyberry arrived in a nice, big upright box. It is a beautiful plant. I was skeptical about the cost compared to other online nurseries, but the plant is mature and well-grown. The plant was well packaged and the bucket was well sealed and protected. We cannot wait to see the berries this winter.———————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Plants arrived very well packaged and in great shape. They are planted and appear to be thriving.———————————-We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG