"They Just Want To Be Noticed"

When it comes to working in the gardens most of my time is spent in the back garden which is very high maintenance.  While I acknowledge the fact that I have a front garden I don't choose to spend a great deal of time working in it, so with that in mind at the time of installing the landscape I created the front garden as a low to no maintenance landscape.  I used trees and shrubs that need once a year pruning or fertilizing.  I was way ahead of what is now the eco-friendly sustainable gardening when I removed all the lawn, built berms and planted the trees, shrubs and ground cover.  Now over half the neighborhood has followed my lead.  Early spring the Mt. Fuji Cherry and the Star Magnolia offer an abundance of color along with the clumps of tulips that bloom and disappear leaving us once again with an inconspicuous green landscape.  Last weekend I took advantage of our not so November weather and was putting a nice tidy edge to the cotoneaster ground cover when a woman pulled up and asked what "that purple thing was"?  I looked in the direction she was pointing and told her "Purple Beauty Berry". She responded with, "Oh I hope you don't mind me asking but they just want to be noticed."  And with that she drove off leaving me looking at this lovely plant sitting at the edge of the front walk.  Yes, she was right, this shrub that sits quietly in the green landscape all through the seasons when most plants are admired for beautiful flowers chooses November of all months to suddenly burst forth with the most stunning garlands of purple amethyst berries. 

Purple Beauty Berry
'Callicarpa dichotoma'