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Callicarpa profusion vs Viburnum Bodnantense

PerkiPerki Posts: 2,456

Looking for more winter colour. Thought of these two, Which is the fastest growing? best foliage and autumn colour? 

Open to more suggestions.

Posts

  • Well, my v. bodnantense 'Dawn' flowers have now finished but the callicarpas are still covered in purple berries..

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,002

    Wish my callicarpa had berries!  I think I had some tiny ones but they soon vanished. I believe to get more berries you need two or more bushes but I haven't the room. With no berries and no leaves, this bush is no good for winter colour although in the autumn it was quite pretty with pinkish leaves.

    I think the V.bodnantense "Dawn" flowers on and off all winter?

    Have you thought of the coloured stems of Cornus - Midwinter Fire perhaps. Quite fast growing, pretty leaves in the summer and red stems in the winter.

    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • I have Vib. Bodnantense 'Charles Lamont' - it flowers on and off from autumn through the winter and well into spring. 

    In my experience Viburnum grows into a substantial shrub more quickly than Callicarpa and the leaves colour up attractively in the autumn.

    Callicarpa is a more vivid colour than Viburnum, but Viburnum has that wonderful scent. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,456

    Hopefully going GC tomorrow, I get to see them in flower and smell the scent of the Bodnantense. I going to have a look at some witch hazels for another bed as well.

    I got a cornus it was lovely last year, I dont think its to happy this year after  moving it.

    I dont know what variety it is though, its variegated, sure it had flowers on and it got red bark in winter image 

  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601

    I find callicarpa much less robust than viburnum. Mine has berries, but only where it has been sheltered from the wind. The viburnum flowers for months and picks up quickly after rough weather. I find Dawn, pink, much hardier than the white one.

  • SwissSueSwissSue Posts: 1,447

    My callicarpa was absolutely covered in berries this year, unfortunately within 2 weeks the blackbirds had scoffed them all!image

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