Privet has long been the go-to shrub for creating a leafy screen or filling a garden border, and fairly so. It's a speedy grower, tough as nails and semi-evergreen to boot. And yet...

Well, and yet it lacks imagination, acting as the gardening equivalent of choosing beige paint for every single room in the house. And there's another reason many have started looking beyond privet, too – did you know that several species are now considered invasive in parts of the US, crowding out native plants and woodlands?

It's little wonder, then, that has plenty of people are searching for alternatives that are just as attractive, but kinder to local wildlife. Which raises a very important question: if you weren't planting privet, what would you grow instead?

The Berry-Covered Shrub Of Your Dreams

For me, the answer is simple, as there's one rather extraordinary shrub that has been catching my eye lately. It spends most of the year flying under the radar, blending quietly into the background while showier plants steal the spotlight.

Come fall, though, its stems become wrapped in impossibly bright clusters of jewel-like purple berries, transforming an otherwise unassuming shrub into one of the most eye-catching plants in the entire garden.

Looking like something that's been plucked straight from a fairytale (or an alien planet, depending on which genre you favor), American beautyberry is a native shrub that's arguably every bit as useful as privet, but infinitely more interesting once fall rolls around.

Thriving in USDA hardiness zones 6-11, this one is a deciduous shrub which makes for a softer, more natural-looking screen, and one that offers something exciting in fall to boot. And, better still, those purple berries aren't just for decoration: they're an important food source for wildlife, too.

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Yes, robins, brown thrashers, purple finches and eastern towhees all love to feed on beautyberry, making it a no-brainer for those who want to transform their yard into a bird sanctuary (and, yes, other wildlife can also eat the fruits).

Better still, beautyberry doesn't need to be fussed over constantly; in fact, it can grow in full sun or partial shade and tolerates a range of soil types as long as drainage is good. It's also relatively free from serious pest and disease problems, making it well worth a second look.

Before rushing out to replace your privet with beautyberry, make sure you bear in mind the fact that this isn't a shrub for a formal hedge. Unless you're prepared to prune it regularly, actually, it can become a bit of a beast, making it much better suited to informal screens and borders.

Plant several together, though? Why, you can create a loose screen with a much more natural appearance... and, when fall arrives, you'll get something privet simply can't provide: those incredible clusters of purple fruit.

Privet certainly has its uses, but if you want a shrub to do more than simply create a wall of green, then American beautyberry deserves a place on your shortlist. It brings spectacular late-season color, feeds birds and pollinators, and offers a much wilder, more interesting look than a traditional privet hedge.

And those jewel-like purple berries? Well, they're certainly a more interesting garden conversation starter than another perfectly clipped hedge.