COLOR-MAD MONDAY

I am so happy to finally have a garden with room for an American Beautyberry. What a great shrub - can take sun or shade (though it likes filtered sunlight best), gets these uber showy purple berries in late summer that last into winter if the birds don't get them, and is pretty much carefree. My only regret is that the berries tend to drop off if you cut the branches, so it's not great for bringing indoors. Mine was only planted in spring, so it's still a baby, but they can get to be 4-8 ft. tall, with a spread of 5-8 ft.

Another favorite plant is pictured there next to it, with the very showy variegated

foliage. That's my old pal Magilla Perilla. She looks a lot like some of the giant-leaved coleuses (colei?), but unlike them, she never goes to seed or gets all tall and lanky. She just gets fuller and more lush as the season progresses. In fact, the mother plant that I planted in spring has grown so well that I've trimmed her back several times this summer. Last time, just for the heck of it, I took some of the tip cuttings and just stuck them in the ground wherever I had an empty space, and that is what you are seeing in the photo. Again, pretty much care free, other than a couple of trims. Only regret here is that it's an annual, which means it will croak come winter. Still, five are six dollars per year for a huge, lush plant with perpetual color and all the babies I want from it, is not a bad deal!