Nightshade is a small, evergreen shrub that grows quickly when given consistent water. The leaves are a deep green and slightly fuzzy. It can be a dense rounded small shrub or leggy creeping vine depending on its location and sun exposure. The flowers are pretty deep purple with bright yellow/green centers. Bumblebees adore this plant as it has some certain kind of nectar and blooms prolifically.

In the garden, place it in the middle (in front of the screen shrubs but behind the low ground covers). Be sure to tip prune to keep it more dense and compact. Careful, the berries can be toxic. I feel this is an underrated plant and makes a good shrub to mix Monkeyflowers and Coast Sunflower. Most people go to Penstemon for their purple fix, but this one blooms earlier and longer.