When autumn arrives most trees put on a colorful foliage display before going dormant for the winter. But some trees offer a bonus attraction – clusters of vivid purple berries that persist after the leaves fall. Adding a few small trees with purple fall berries to your landscape provides late season visual interest attracts birds, and gives winter structure to the garden.
Reasons to Plant Trees with Purple Fall Berries
Here are some benefits of choosing trees that produce purple berries in autumn:
- Prolonged color in the garden after leaves drop
- Attract songbirds and wildlife
- Ornamental appeal with colorful branches and fruits
- Some have beautiful spring blooms as well
- Provide screening and privacy
- Give height and structure
Trees with purple berries allow you to extend the fall garden season with eye-catching color when most other plants have faded. The glossy fruits also feed birds like waxwings and robins when food sources dwindle in winter
Best Species of Trees with Purple Fall Berries
Some top options for small trees with purple berries in autumn are:
American Elderberry
Growing up to 12 feet tall, the American elderberry produces large clusters of tiny deep purple berries in late summer. The flat-topped blooms are white. Elderberries attract birds but are also used to make jellies, juices and wine.
Serviceberry
Serviceberry is a spring blooming tree that bears edible blue-purple berry-like fruits in summer or fall. The showy white flowers in spring are a nectar source for pollinators. Varieties grow 6 to 20 feet tall.
Chokecherry
Chokecherry is a suckering large shrub or small tree that yields bitter dark purple to black berries. The five-petaled white flowers become strings of tiny cherries. Chokecherry grows up to 20 feet tall and spreads by suckers.
American Plum
American plum is a small, short-lived ornamental tree that flowers in spring and produces edible reddish-purple plums in late summer. This thornless plant grows 15 to 25 feet tall and wide.
Eastern Redbud
Eastern redbud is a spectacular spring blooming tree with vivid purple pink flowers. In summer, long purplish seed pods develop, persisting into fall. The heart shaped leaves are bright green. It grows 20 to 30 feet tall.
How to Use Purple Berry Trees in Your Landscape
Here are some tips for incorporating ornamental trees with purple fruits into your garden:
- Plant them in groups or clusters for greater visual impact.
- Use them as focal points or specimen plants.
- Add them to mixed borders or native plant gardens.
- Plant near patios or decks to enjoy the late season color.
- Use them as screens or for privacy around yard borders.
- Allow plenty of space for the trees to reach their mature sizes.
With so many great options, you can’t go wrong choosing a small tree that yields loads of purple berries in the fall. They will boost curb appeal, attract wildlife, and extend seasonal interest in your landscape.
Ground Breaking Banter – Rick
You don’t have to eat berries; many beautiful ornamental plants produce berries in the fall that add color to the garden like nothing else can. So, in this episode, we’ll talk about plants other than crabapples and hollies, like mountain ask, pyracantha, coralberry, and more, to give you new ways to make your fall garden or landscape even more colorful and interesting.
You can listen to our whole talk about fall berries on the YouTube link above or on your favorite podcast app.
As soon as someone sees a shrub like a viburnum, coral berry, or snow berry full of fruit in the fall, they think, “I WANT THAT!” The fruit is just so interesting and unusual. But many of these plants don’t look like much in the spring, when people are shopping at garden centers. There is a tag with a picture of the berries on it to give people an idea of what to expect, but the fruit they show is so different from the real thing that it’s hard to believe it will grow (but it will, if it’s a Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrub!). Not many people get to grow these interesting and unique shrubs in their gardens, which is a shame.
That being said, I think callicarpa is the plant that suffers the most because of when its best time comes around. Its common name is beautyberry, which is a good name for it. I still remember the first time I saw one in person. When I saw these tiny purple berries, I couldn’t believe they were real. They are such a bright and unusual shade of purple. But they are, and you might be surprised at how easy this plant is to care for and how often those special purple berries will come back every fall.
But as with many plants that get berries in fall, callicarpa is not usually the most interesting plant the rest of the season. They look fine enough, but especially the old-fashioned callicarpas are huge, unremarkable plants for a good 80% of the year. So when it came for us here at Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs to introduce a beautyberry, the first thing we wanted was a plant that contributed more to the garden outside of those few glorious purple berry weeks in fall, and what we ended up with was today’s plant on trial, Pearl Glam beautyberry (Callicarpa ×).
This incredible variety comes to us from Dr. Tom Ranney of North Carolina State University, and the first thing you’ll notice about it is that its leaves don’t grow in a huge mass of plain green leaves; instead, they grow in a nice, space-saving column of deep purple-black leaves. Some older types of beautybush grew up to 5 feet tall and wide, which is pretty big for a plant that doesn’t look like much of the year. Some even reach 10’ tall and wide. For some reason, Pearl Glam grows straight up and narrow, only 2 to 3 feet wide and 4 to 5 feet tall. This means it saves ground space and adds that important “punctuation mark” to the garden’s structure. The best thing about it is that its dark black leaves look great with other spring and summer perennials and shrubs. They also look great with the white flowers that appear in late summer and turn into those famous purple berries.
Some of our listeners who live in warmer climates may know more about the beautyberry than those who live in cooler climates. We do have a great native species, Callicarpa americana, that has big, bubble-shaped, bright purple berries in the fall that are so big compared to others that they almost form a dense column of fruit. If you’ve ever been driving through the South in September, you can’t miss them. Pearl Glam, however, is a hybrid of Asian varieties, which bring in that great foliage color. Our native callicarpa can survive in USDA Zone 6, and Pearl Glam can survive in USDA Zone 5. In either case, they might die back to the ground during a harsh winter in the colder parts of their zone range. However, they will resprout from the roots and go on to flower and fruit without issue. Pearl Glam can be slow to sprout in the spring, so be patient. Also, keep in mind that its leaves are so dark, even when they first come out in the spring, that it can be hard to tell when they finally do sprout. You might want to mark the area so that pets, other animals, or a gardener busy with spring tasks don’t hurt the new growth.
Pearl Glam callicarpa is a shrub that needs full sun. If it doesn’t get enough sun, the leaves won’t turn color and the shrub won’t flower or fruit as much. The plant doesn’t need a pollinator, but you might not see much fruit for the first couple of years. This is normal; the plant needs a strong root system to do its best. It is hardy to USDA zone 5 and heat tolerant through USDA zone 8.
Gardening Mail Bag – Stacey
We got a lovely comment from listener, Jennifer: Love the show and look forward to each Saturday episode. Stacy, we wanted to extend support to you regarding your “no lawn” project. We a senior sisters that have done the same thing to our backyard Texas zone 8b. We started over a month ago. Pulled up grass, laid down mulch. So we were thrilled to have your your endorsement because you did it the same way. While we decide where to put the pavers and make small garden areas, we love how the cedar mulch has kept everything clean. At first, we weren’t sure. It’s important for us to plant in zones 5–9, which means part sun, part shade, and shade. This is because we have a lot of trees. We have been getting design inspiration from Pinterest mediterranean patio designs. It will be a good project.
Rick and I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to plant anything you want after the stump is gone. This tree has been dead for a long time. We’ve both found that if a stump is ground down properly, it’s not hard to dig in the area. Of course, you should get rid of as much sawdust as you can, but it shouldn’t be a problem if a little is still there. Plus, spring sounds like a great time to start planting!
If you need help or have a question, please email us or use the tab above that says “contact.” Because we get a lot of questions, we might not be able to answer yours right away. If you need an answer quickly, please use the Proven Winners website to get in touch.
The American BeautyBerry Plant. Low Maintenance Perennial Plant Purple Berries.
FAQ
What tree has purple berries in the fall?
Are beautyberry berries edible?
What tree has hanging purple berries?
What is a purple berry shrub?
The identifying features of the purple-berry shrub are its attractive reddish stems, bright green leaves, showy white flower clusters, and purple fruit appearing in late summer and fall. American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a spreading, herbaceous perennial that grows like a bush.
What plants have purple berries?
Shrubs with purple berries like beautyberry, chokeberry, and viburnum are ideal for adding color and texture to a garden landscape. Also, trees with purple berries, like the American elderberry and serviceberry trees, add shade, beautiful flowers, and privacy to your front or backyard.
Do berries grow in the fall?
The fall berries on this shrub offer a lovely pop of color throughout the cold season. Round clusters of amethyst to purple berries remain on bare stems after willowlike leaves turn color and drop. This deciduous shrub grows 6 feet tall (sometimes more) and almost as wide. Full sun or light shade.
What color do berries turn in the fall?
The berries start out green but quickly turn red, then deep purplish black. Grows 6 feet tall and wide. Full sun or light shade. Sunset zones 4-6, 14-17, 20-24. The fall berries on this shrub offer a lovely pop of color throughout the cold season.
Are purple berries invasive?
Purple beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma): The purple beautyberry is an invasive shrub with purple berries. The small pink to lavender fruits ripen in the late summer and early fall and last through winter. In the fall, the lush green foliage turns golden yellow, adding to its ornamental appeal.
How do you know if a tree has purple berries?
Distinct identification features like leaf shape, type of flowers, mature size, and the arrangement of berries can help distinguish tree and shrub species. Also, pictures of shrubs and trees with purple berries can help with identification. It’s really important to know which trees and shrubs have purple berries.