Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii 'Profusion'

Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii is not very often grown, partly because several plants need to be grown together to produce good crops of the violet bead-like berries. Callicarpa 'Profusion' is a great improvement, fruiting well on its own, with large packed clusters of the berries in mid-autumn, overlapping with the golden purple leaf tints and then lingering after leaf-fall. The young foliage is bronze-purple, and makes good material for vases, as do bare branches laden with berries. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

Grow Callicarpa 'Profusion' in moist but well-drained soil in full sun or dappled shade, ideally near a path or in a front garden where you can appreciate its autumn beauty. Plants tolerate a little lime in the soil, but conditions which are too alkaline will cause leaf yellowing.