Question: When should bittersweet be harvested for drying?

Answer: Bittersweet, or Celastrus, is grown principally for the branches that produce clusters of bright berries. The berry-laden branches are used for dried flower arrangements. Note that the berries are not edible--in fact birds won't even eat them! You can harvest branches in the fall and remove the leaves, or wait until the leaves fall off on their own, then harvest. (The berries will persist on the branches well into the winter months.)