An important aspect of my garden is that it was planned to include a variety of plants to create interest all through the year.

Just as the flowers are starting to fade, there are still some late season surprises popping up.

My favorite is arrival of the amethyst colored berries on the Beautyberry shrub that we planted in the late fall of 2013. (I’ve recently learned not to call this a Beautybush, because that’s a whole other type of plant.)

It was an impulse purchase only because of the color of the berries and it is suited for zone 5. Before planting this little shrub in it’s permanent spot, it sat for a few days here and there in garden, so we could find the perfect spot to admire it the future.

Honestly, with so much coming to an end in the garden the past few weeks, I forgot about this plant.

It’s still small, about 2 feet in diameter. It will eventually get up to 4 feet tall and wide.

In the spring it had tiny white flowers. When the foliage color changes later in October, it should morph into a bright yellow shrub (if not hit by frost first!)

We are starting to see a little color change since we’ve been fortunate that the temperature has only dropped to 36(F) degrees in the Nashua area so far this fall.

And now, as we head into the middle of October, it is one of the most striking plants in the garden!

But, take a closer look. I just think “WOW!” Its color is so unusual – personally, I think that the berries look fake because that color of purple is not normally seen in my garden. Even with the iris and day lilies.

All of those bright purple berries are just beautiful. The birds enjoy these only when they exhaust the supply of other fruits and berries on the nearby holly and crabapples.

It’s nice to have something so unusual and striking in the garden appear as the nights grow long, the days grow short, and time in the 2014 garden is quickly coming to an end.