Today was and still is a very rainy and dreary day so I thought I would be a little productive and try to get ready for spring. I decided to start a couple of plants inside. I planted seed of Castor Bean (Ricinus communis), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), and some Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). I tried some Beautyberry and Thorn Apple (Datura innoxia) early on in January, but they never sprouted. It could have been bad seed or the wrong type of soil for them which is what I think was the problem. This time for the Beautyberry as well as the others I mentioned, I'm trying a cactus mix soil as I seem to have high germination rates with it more so than with the other soil. I will also try the cactus mix with the Thorn Apple to see if I can get germination with it.
FlowerFreak, Beautyberry is really easy to propagate from cuttings. If you take cuttings in early spring, after the first flush of growth but before the plant flowers, they strike very quickly. If you want or need more explicit instructions, private message me and I'll send them to you. We have quite a few beautyberries growing on the farm, all from one plant that I "pruned" in the wild .
Cheryl, Beautyberry is Callicarpa americana and is actually a form of verbena. It grows in semi-shade and can do well in dry cinditions. It is a valuable plant for wildlife, as well as being very decorative in the flower garden. There is a white-berried variety, also, but it is less hardy than the purple berried variety.
I had no trouble growing Beautyberry from seed. They were very tiny plants. I sprinkled quite a few seeds in each pot not covering with soil. I put a plastic dome over the pots.I had to separate them repotting them several times. They grew slowly the first year but took off fast the second. You'll find that the Castor plants grow very fast. I just plant them directly in the ground now. The last three years, they reseeded themselves in my garden and I'm in central Indiana! BTW, they don't deter moles in my garden.
I didn't know that Castor Bean was supposed to deter moles. Luckily I don't have a mole problem otherwise I would have to find something else to get rid of them. I am just growing it because I like how it looks.
Beautyberry sounds like a good selection for a shade garden. Even after cutting down 53 trees I am still in the shade. Another great morsel of information from the Stew. Jerry
Lukeypukey - I use E.B. Stone Organics Cactus Mix. It has volcanic rock and pumice in it. As well as sand bark and a few other things that I can't remember right now. It does well with everything that I have planted in it.
