Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion'
Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii 'Profusion' · Lamiaceae
A tall, upright shrub that is plain all summer and then covered, as the leaves fall, in dense bunches of metallic violet berries.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid July to early August
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion'
The planner designed this bed around bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' × 1, pink
- 2 Cottage pinks × 20, white
- 3 Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' × 3, white
- 4 Switchgrass 'Northwind' × 3, tan
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 8, yellow
- 6 Wild lupine × 11, blue
- 7 Creeping thyme × 21, purple
- 8 Yellow coneflower × 8, yellow
- 9 Winecups × 3, purple
- 10 Pale purple coneflower × 11, pink
- 11 Persian fritillary × 5, purple
- 12 Saffron crocus × 19, purple
- 13 Turkestan tulip × 17, white
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does switchgrass 'Northwind'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid July to early August.
- In company. With creeping thyme, yellow coneflower, winecups and others in mid July: 5 kinds at once.
Planned as an English border: 20 of the 21 groups (95%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height from mid June, with 6 kinds out together. Cottage pinks is planted in six places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It fruits freely on its own, where most beautyberries need a partner. The berries last on the bare branches into December, and the young leaves are bronze-purple.
- Violet berries on bare branches
- The back of a shrub border
- Winter arrangements
What to plant with bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Witch hazel 'Arnold Promise': flowers first, early February to mid March, so the spot is never empty; tall enough (13 ft) to stand behind it.
- Japanese anemone: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid August; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Oakleaf hydrangea: in flower together for five weeks, from mid July; bold leaves against its medium ones.
Questions about bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion'
Does bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' need sun or shade?
Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 8. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid July to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 6 | Mid July to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early July to early August |
| Zone 8 | Early July to early August |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion'?
Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' comes from Southern China to Indo-China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Summersweet: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 20 in shorter, 24 in narrower.
- Flowering currant: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in narrower, flowers late March to late April.
- American beautyberry: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 2½ ft shorter, 12 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion'?
Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Switchgrass 'Northwind': from early August to early October, 5½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation': from early August to mid September, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' look like in winter?
Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter arrangements. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' good for bees and butterflies?
Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion' is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and songbirds.
More Callicarpa
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana
- Beautyberry 'Early Amethyst' Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst'
- Purple beautyberry Callicarpa dichotoma
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid July to early August; dense clusters; pink, lavender
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green, bronze
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Comes from
- Southern China to Indo-China
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.