I needed a forklift to get out of bed this morning, I could have slept another 3 hours quite comfortably.
Having had my head down all week attending to trees, trees, trees, it left little time to notice a few other plants putting on show.
Callicarpa 'Beauty Berry' are not a huge seller, but they have a certain appeal with their purple berries attracting plenty of eyes. These are largish deciduous shrubs that can grow up to 2 meters in height. They feature fluffy mauve flowers in spring, the purple berries appear in late autumn. Callicarpa are extremely frost hardy and do best in a semi-shade position.
Another oddity, Arbutus unedo or Irish Strawberry Tree. These smallish evergreen trees can get to 5-7 meters tall and are extremely hardy once established. The delicate little flowers appear in late autumn/early winter and are followed by attractive berries. Again, not a big selling line, mainly because no one knows about them.
