Beautyberry: grow and eat a SPECTACULAR berry

Watch four Beautyberry plants grow, from flowering (Aug) to when we eat them (Nov)! watch 4 months of cultivation in 10 minutes.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa) genus is easy to grow, care for, propagate, and fun to eat!
Beautyberry grows in full sun or full shade. Beautyberries can be eaten fresh (watch our video), or made into a jam, preserve or even vine! Grow this disease and pest free plant in any creative landscape design as a hedge or single accent plant. AND, the USDA has proven that it is a mosquito repellent AND tick repellent (it repels biting insects!!). More details at heppy.org/beautyberry.
We grow, care for, propagate and eat the variety native to North America, American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). Pearl Glam Beautyberry has become popular but is not native to North America, and the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is VERY attractive and unique. And we gort some plants for FREE here in Maryland. More details at heppy.org/beautyberry.
find more info:
00:00 - 01:10 - bla bla bla intro
01:10 - 02:17 - Aug 04 - plant #1 - a gorgeous specimen growing in full sun
02:17 - 03:15 - Aug 04 - plant #2 - crappiest specimen in 3/4 sun
03:15 - 03:50 - Aug 04 - plant #3 - so so specimen growing in 3/4 sun
03:50 - 04:50 - Aug 04 - plant #4 - a gorgeous specimen growing in full shade
04:50 - 06:12 - Aug 30 - plant #1 - fruit are maturing and I eat our first Beautyberries!
06:12 - 07:30 - Nov 11 - plant #1 - harvesting Beautyberries!
07:30 - 08:24 - Nov 11 - plant #1 - Maria tries some Beautyberries too!
08:24 - 09:30 - Nov 11 - plant #1 - eating berries that are dark magenta versus lighter color
09:30 - 10:00 - Nov 11 - plant #1 - harvest an entire spear of Beautyberries
10:00 - 10:45 - final thoughts about eating Beauties, and other qualities that this SPECTACULAR plant has
10:45 - 11:15 - blooper #1 - making the sausage
11:15 - 11:15 - blooper #2 - subscribe whether or not u like us ;)
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find more info:
follow our HEPPY™ Beautyberry: heppy.org/beautyberry
see our collection of edible plants grown organically in our food forest: heppy.org/plants .
see more about HEPPY™ heppy.org/
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Common varieties of Beautyberry:
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Pearl Glam Beautyberry (Callicarpa x 'NCCX2')
Early Amethyst or Purple Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma)
Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica)
Black Beautyberry or Mexican Beautyberry (Callicarpa acuminata)
White Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
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about HEPPY™
in 2017 I started planting a food forest on a 2 acre abandoned property. we’re located only 10 miles south of the US Capitol but are surrounded by several hundred acres of forest and very few homes. our garden design, landscape architecture and permaculture techniques incorporate fruiting trees, fruiting shrubs, edible ground cover, edible flowers, and herbs and medicinal plants that will provide food for generations. it’s a long and slow ‘haul’, as we adapt, learn new things and are enjoying the process. (also, you DON’T NEED TWO ACRES to do this. i once planted ~12 fruit trees on the property of a residential home. if I can do it, so can u!)
HEPPY™ lifestyle promotes health and wellness based on interwoven pillars.
HEPPY is growing and eating quality nutritious food; it’s physical exercise and physical health; HEPPY values mental health to include rest, meditation, enjoyment of nature, and working at what makes you passionate; it’s about being creative, artistic and INVENTIVE; and HEPPY emphasizes financial health by being conservative, patient, self-sustaining, and finding best value. Nutritional, physical, mental, creative, and financial health are interwoven. They’re pillars of a HEPPY lifestyle. Join us being self-sustaining, by converting a standard residential home into a COMFORTABLE off-grid oasis.
i just started ;) so there’ll be vids for years to come :/ … ;). check us out!:

[@heppylifestyle]

many vids describe their 'secret' plants. beautyberry are no secret -- they're native to North America and are SO easy to grow and are such a unique looking plant. hope you enjoy!

[@randialtman8407]

Beauty berries are so easy to grow I am forever cutting down tons of them!! And, no worries, there are more left over than we’ll ever eat. 😊

[@heppylifestyle]

It would be nice to see all the growth & bushes with berries. What State r u in? I love the Beautyberry -- such an unusual plant! Thanks for stopping by!

[@lighthouselaura4324]

I live in Florida's pangandle. These guys grow wild &abundantly. I used them for table decorations for years. The purple color with the wild flowers from yard are so pretty. Then I Google & found they're edible! So I made jam & syrup. It's so yummy.

[@heppylifestyle]

get me a recipe and i'll post it! ;) (heppy.org/beautyberry) you're creative and i'm glad you're putting their beauty to use! yes, edible. and they have insecticidal properties! thanks for stopping by lighthouse laura, pete moss

[@njdoc12341]

How’s is the shelf life in say floral arrangements looks like they would fall off stem to easily

[@lighthouselaura4324]

@@njdoc12341 they say on pretty good. I make it a could days prior. Last for awhile. Brine bird- 3 days prior. I make jam & butter, arangments, wash china & polish silver- 2 days prior. Make desserts & prep cassaroles, set table- 1 day. prior

[@judithdiaz4526]

Watch your language if you want more subscribers listening to you! The beauty of nature and learning don't go with ugly cursing!

[@heppylifestyle]

i agree! sorry Ms. Diaz -- it was one of my first vids. I completely agree.

[@kellyahealey4324]

Boooo! The realness is more palatable.

[@offgridprep]

Great berry makes great jelly

[@jeaniedeveau164]

Here i. Central Florida they grow and fruit well in shade. We also get a flush in spring and fall. I make mosquito spray and also jam as well as give my laying hens a treat.

[@heppylifestyle]

Nice! Would love to learn more about the mosquito spray 🤓🐞

[@jeaniedeveau164]

@@heppylifestyle I pack a Mason jar with fresh crushed leaves.sometimes I put in lemongrass, to add citronella, mint, catnip, anything that has qualities that bugs don't like. Top with either clear rubbing alcohol or witch hazel seal. Let sit a few weeks to months then strain. You can dilute with water and put in a sprayer.

[@heppylifestyle]

@@jeaniedeveau164 well, i'm sensing a homemade bug spray experiment that's REALLY high on my radar. Your instructions are in my personal notes! Thank you so much! 🐞

[@jeaniedeveau164]

@@heppylifestyle your welcome. It works. We get carried away by them so it's a problem. A easy fast way is pick a leaf of lemon grass crush in your palm and rub the oil on your skin. It smells awesome, softener for skin and keeps bugs away. I do it after my shower if I have to go outside.

[@heppylifestyle]

@@jeaniedeveau164 I tried growing Lemon Grass once, I think 🤔, and it'll have to be like Turmeric - she needs to come indoors overwinter. FL is a delightful region to grow in; a great zone and plenty of rain. I truly need to try to make a natural bug spray; I track bug UNfriendly plants for that very reason (heppy.org/plants). Glad ur using the plants around u -- inspiring folks have become the best part of my YouTubing experience 😄😎. Thank u!

[@hobbykubisnisku1519]

Nice beautyberry

[@Elouise172]

Really helpful video, thanks!!

[@heppylifestyle]

thank you Erin and thanks for stopping by! 🐞

[@TimberwolfOutdoorLife]

Great video. I have beautyberries in my yard that I am going to harvest this year. Will be my first time.

[@heppylifestyle]

awesome. try 'em in a salad. i just pop them in my mouth. make sure they're ripe ;) it's really an unusual berry and prolific fruiter (as you've seen yourself). thanks for the feedback!

[@plantsim]

we are on the same journey, great to find you!

[@heppylifestyle]

awesome!! yes, it's nice to connect. and i wish you well. my page on plants is far from being completed, and needs a refresh, but the existing list may provide ideas for what you're doing with plants (heppy.org/plants).

[@ExLibMachina]

Thanks for this. I just bought 2!

[@heppylifestyle]

nice -- way to go Beth. they grow best in much sun. not necessarily full sun but they can handle sun (our girls growing in ~full shade are ... thinly leaved & thinly branched). Garden On Beth!

[@gabsave]

Nice video ☺️ 👍

[@heppylifestyle]

thanks Gab!

[@johnl.6354]

No funky green Shit LOL hahahah.

[@as-sandakani]

Malaysian beauty berry leaves is different compare to this beauty berry. I hope one day a can keep this one. Such a beautyful berry... ❤️

[@heppylifestyle]

i just did some reading. maybe Callicarpa macrophylla (India to Malaysia) is the one you have. www.gardenology.org/wiki/Beautyberry well, Beautyberry is part of one big, global family ;)

[@stephaniecole3795]

Better as a jelly. Jelly will be red.

[@hobbykubisnisku1519]

Greetings from new friends in Asia

[@heppylifestyle]

Hola Amigo (hello friend!). thank you for subscribing! stay safe!

[@estebanvlasc8546]

MUy bello , Greetings from Ecuador!

[@heppylifestyle]

Hola mi Amigo, Esteban. Mucho gusto para de Norte (please excuse my Spanish ;)

[@estebanvlasc8546]

@@heppylifestyle No problem my friend , sorry my bad english ,i am agricultural Tecnichian , I like plants, but I had never seen the beautiful berry

[@heppylifestyle]

@@estebanvlasc8546 no problema. mi Esponol es malo tabien. you may find the Black Beautyberry (Callicarpa acuminata) in South America.

[@JuneHarriseco]

That looks like an invasive japanese grass in the full shade at 4:03

[@heppylifestyle]

thumbs up for seeing that. yup, the invasive japanese stiltgrass is throughout our area & in our garden :(. good eye for spotting it. how good are u at pulling it :). i just started buying native grasses -- three species -- i'm hoping they out-compete that ass-pain invasive. anywho, thanks for stopping by J H. plz sub'!

[@rhodorareonal6737]

I found a lot of this in our backyard. It so very surprising to know that we will benefit from it. We will now avoid cutting this thinking it was just one of the nonsense plant randomly growing around our farm house. I am excited to know more what can I extract from it. God bless. Anyway I am from Philippines.

[@heppylifestyle]

hi Rhodora! i'm glad you found the Beautyberry and found us! ;) it's such a unique plant -- such weird but fascinating berries (how the berries grow in clusters) and a plant with PROVEN insecticidal properties! thanks for stopping by, and please subscribe! ;) take care Rhodora, pete moss

[@ea32da32]

I’m told that to get the benefit from the chemical element in the leaves they have to be processed by distillation. They say to cut it 1’ above ground to renew the plant every few years. I’m just now discovering it all around my property

[@heppylifestyle]

Earl -- you nailed it regarding distillation & the pruning! we have an old book on making (what i call) "lotions & potions" out of plant material. we plan on using it to explore how to use Beautyberry as an insecticide. Beautyberry, Powis Castle Artemisa, mints & whatever we have that'll get our pesky flies off us! yes -- the hard prune when dormant is a way to renew (probably hard prune about anytime -- it's a forgiving plant). in the right location she can develop into a nice single trunk specimen plant. they seem to need a harder prune if growing in shady areas; in full sun, they develop a nice shape. thank you Earl.

[@ea32da32]

@@heppylifestyle you’re welcome, please do share any info you come up with thank you.

[@BrendanMcNerney]

What if you don't cut it back all the way? Does it continue to grow from where it was so you could have a more spectacular tree? Also, my beauty berry is more like a bush but I really love the tree. Can I just cultivate one of the stems and keep the others cut?

[@MiladyMeowMeow-bf7nk]

I know this is fairly old, but if you ever happen to see this comment I would love to know the name of your old "lotions and potions" plant book! Many thanks in advance

[@seedhound]

Thank you for sharing this information. I have a white berried variety whiich is pretty but not as showy as the purple.

[@heppylifestyle]

white berried Beautyberry are rare (from what i understand). it's the same species, Callicarpa americana!! but yes, the purple/magenta colored berries with lime-green colored leaves is a striking combo. would love to trade white for purple if you're ever around Maryland, just a hair south of DC. and thank you for subscribing!

[@seedhound]

@@heppylifestyle I will see how they are doing this fall. Maybe I can send you some seeds or cuttings.

[@heppylifestyle]

@seed hound cool. much appreciated! 🌱

[@seedhound]

I have some of the seeds from the white beauty berry I can send you. How do I contact you privately?

[@ellenharold5191]

I don't think the native ones are hardy in the northern states. I wonder if the hardier Asian ones have the same properties.

[@heppylifestyle]

@@ellenharold5191 my research (not experience) shows that two Asian varieties grow in zone 5 (the American grows to zone 6). In terms of properties, they look similar. But the American variety has the outstanding insecticidal properties and I don't know if the Asian varieties do. Great questions, and thanks for stopping by 🐞

[@furrygohanztv491]

They grow everywhere here in Florida when I was young I thought they was poisonous found out they were edible I have a couple growing in my yard I sometimes add them to smoothies or a salad I don't like them by their self they are kind of bland with a strange aftertaste I've always wanted to try making Beauty Berry jam and perhaps wine though there are so many in my neighborhood my rabbit and chickens love eating them

[@heppylifestyle]

Awesome! adding them to smoothies or a salad is excellent. AND, Beautyberry leaves have natural compounds proven to be a natural insect repellent. In the olden days, a farmer would break branches off the Beautyberry and place the branches under a horse's harness to provide relief from (i think it was) flies and mosquitos.

[@furrygohanztv491]

@@heppylifestyle yes they repel insects it's actually good to plant a few beautyberry bushes in the garden it helps repel insects from eating your produce

[@heppylifestyle]

@@furrygohanztv491 I might try something like planting a hedge of Beautyberry on the northern side of some veggies that got hammered by insects. Too bad Beautyberry doesn't repel squirrels ;) Thx Furry!

[@furrygohanztv491]

@@heppylifestyle their insect-repelling properties is one of the things that help keep their fruit safe from insects and sick dear will eat beautyberry leaves it helps rid them of parasites

[@furrygohanztv491]

@@heppylifestyle no unfortunately it attracts squirrels they like eating Beauty berries so does wild rabbits but Beauty berries are very easy to grow you might be interested in checking out some of my videos I show off some of my garden it's mostly videos of my snake eating though but I plan on doing other videos on different things I need to think of stuff besides just feeding my snake😂

[@KlausBioMadsen]

Huh, interesting. Never seen this in Europe. Can they handle heavy clay soil? Do they need cross pollination?

[@heppylifestyle]

one of 3-4 plants that inspired me to garden as i do! the name is Beautyberry! tolerate heavy clay: yes. as you know, you can plant on a small mound, amend soil, and loosen soil first. but Maryland USA is known for heavy clay soil, and she's a native plant here (although, i never see it). cross-pollinate: she's self-fertile. doesn't self-seed much; i have very very little self-seeding. plz subscribe and thanks for stopping by!

[@rachelanne5751]

ok i’m absolutely positive that i have this bush!!! i take bike rides every day and i always pass this bush in the forest!!! and i did a lot of research on it and i know it’s edible but i’m kinda scared to try it :( so i picked some to freeze and save!! but i want to eat it buuut i’m a little nervous 😅😅 can you help me out??

[@heppylifestyle]

ray ray -- be careful!!! don't eat what you are not 100% sure of! right now (Aug-Nov) you'll see beautyberry fruiting. the fruit has a very distinctive in shape and color -- how the berries cluster and the fruit's magenta color. also, use the link to find a local expert to help ID the plant. i LOVE this service, ask.extension.org/ask yes, be scared enough to be cautious; doing research and learning is the HEPPY™ way; ID it properly and if it's beautyberry, enjoy! 07:30 - 10:00 - we're eating beautyberry. our beautyberry have a lemony 'pop' for flavor, and are distinctly crunchy.

[@phillyhippie]

I'm in Eastern PA does anyone know do deer/rabbits eat this plant??

[@heppylifestyle]

Deer do not eat our Beautyberry plant that's outside of our fencing ;). Not sure about rabbits.... Hope that helped & please subscribe!

[@thedayfliesby9427]

I have to laugh, we have this bush growing all over wild. It really gets abuse no water grows everywhere. We have been watering a couple of them and they are producing lots of purple berries. It’s too hot to make the jelly that we love. Does anyone know how to freeze them?

[@heppylifestyle]

hey The Day Flies by! -- days DO fly by, for sure. i've not tried freezing them but i'm sure someone has! try placing them (dry) in a container & freeze them! thanks for stopping by and please subscribe! pete moss

[@Not2daysatan]

Good info. Do they freeze well?

[@heppylifestyle]

Thank you for the feedback Tammy! i don't know if they freeze well (although I should / should have tried). it's something i should have experimented with by now. the fruit is on the dry side; personally, i suspect they'd freeze fine. someday we'll freeze it and make a jam and figure out how to draw-out the insecticidal properties! heppy need help! :/ take care Tammy & Happy New Yr.

[@sappir26]

First time I see or heard of these but according to my research they appear to be native to Japan. Their botanical name Callicarpe comes from the Greek name that means beauty. It is not recommended to eat a large amount of them as a fresh berry. Used mainly in jams and wines. They appear all over the world nowadays. There are many different varieties.

[@heppylifestyle]

i'm telling you Sarah that you should help write content for us! ;) there are several varieties and you're correct, many come from Asia (Japan, Korea, China). Callicarpa americana is distinctly Americana ;). South America has the Callicarpa acuminata. the many others are from around Japan, as you found! one of my first webpages on plants at the exhibition: heppy.org/beautyberry#varieties_of_beautyberry thank you for stopping by Sarah. keep digging in! ;)

[@sappir26]

@@heppylifestyle no matter where it grows it's still one of the most beautiful plants I've ever seen 😍

[@heppylifestyle]

@@sappir26 totally different and beautiful. it may have been the first or second plant i 'discover' as a native and that, almost no one new about (Beautyberry & Pawpaw). i was like, folks have to see this plant!!! garden on Sarah!

[@tripeboi]

When are the berry's mature enough to plant?

[@heppylifestyle]

hey Tripeboi. *outdoors* : berries are mature in fall when the berries are dark magenta. plant seeds in the fall for spring germination. Nov-Jan (in North America). each berry has 2-4 seeds. *indoors* : anytime after gathering seeds. *gathering seeds* : the formal process is probably a bit tedious. ya' have to remove the fruit-flesh from around the seeds. after drying the seeds, they're ready for planting or storage in a cool, dry place. *HEPPY style* : we use the informal method ;). we experiment by tossing excess fruit on the ground. we do this when eating the fruit (seeds are mature at that point). we see what nature will do for us. so far, we noticed that very few Beautyberry plants germinated in spring (zone 7, MD, USA). less than ten (10) plants came up in spring 2021. so low germination is good and bad for us. it's good because we don't need to weed young plants in the spring. it's bad if we wanted to monetize this plant by selling potted seedlings (propagate without putting any effort in gathering/planting). hope that helped. plz subscribe ;)

[@fermincamarena4341]

Will beautyberry live in zone 10 ??

[@heppylifestyle]

hi Fermin! yes, Beautyberry grows in zones 6 to 10. zone 10 is nice & toasty warm so she made need some shade (like, 6+ hours sun and a little break from scorching sun, IF that's your situation). a lot of info is here: heppy.org/beautyberry thanks for stopping by Fermin and plz subscribe!

[@xisotopex]

can these be grown close to a window/foundation for some shade/privacy?

[@heppylifestyle]

Beautyberry have a mellow root sys from what i see; however, they're not a densely bushy plant. Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is evergreen and dense, however. Hope that helps!

[@xisotopex]

@@heppylifestyle thanks! looking for something like a crape myrtle, 4-6 foot tall, not something that dense to the point of opaque like an evergreen.... the flowers and edible berries of this seemed intriguing, never heard of it before.... and I'm ok with garden/landscape stuff being a little loose as well...

[@heppylifestyle]

@@xisotopex. Nice! fruiting bushes include: 1. Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa is bullet-proof in sunny location (~5-6') 2. Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana (~3-5') 3. some currants get bushy but do best in part shade (Consort, Titania, Minaj Smyriou are largely disease-free). 3' max. 4. Sweet Scarlet Goumi is bullet-proof in sunny location (6-10' depending on soil). 5. Possumhaw, Viburnum nudum (~5') but very rooty (good for erosion control). 6. Serviceberry, Amelanchier canadensis but prone to leaf fungal weirdness. I don't mind it but .... crape myrtle also is bullet-proof but i pulled one out and the roots all around it sprouted new plants :(.

[@Rose-wz4dg]

Video would be more helpful if you actually had names of the beautyberry. Thank you!

[@heppylifestyle]

Ok -- thank you ;) like, the scientific name? or the common name? you're right -- there are a several varieties. currently we only have the American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana. more about them here too, heppy.org/beautyberry. Thank you Rose.

[@alexalexa141]

Your music after your introduction is way too loud.

[@heppylifestyle]

it is a jolt. sorry about that.... i may take it down to 80% volume in future vids.