*Berberis*, thorny barberry: plant, prune and maintain

Description and Botany

Barberries are shrubs native to the Far East, the Andean regions of South America, and Europe, including some species like vulgaris. The genus comprises over 400 species, with North American species now classified under the genus Mahonia. They are also known as barberry, barberry bush, or vinegar pisse, as the coral-red, juicy, and very sour fruits of Berberis vulgaris were once used to make a wine called vinettier. They were also pickled in vinegar like capers or consumed as jam or syrup. This species, found from France to central Russia and northeast Turkey, has spread to North America, becoming invasive. It is also feared by wheat growers who conduct uprooting campaigns as it harbours wheat rust, a fungus that requires Berberis to complete its life cycle.

Berberis vulgaris, forming a bush with arching branches reaching 3 m in height, is very common in plains and mid-mountain areas up to 2000 m altitude, particularly in rich, calcareous soil. The shrub can live for 30 to 50 years. However, this species is rarely planted for horticultural purposes, overshadowed by more compact, floriferous varieties with colourful foliage such as thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’ or thunbergii ‘Harlequin’ with young shoots that are reddish-orange turning pink (variegated purple with cream to be exact) which also adopt beautiful autumn colours.

Berberis buxifolia – botanical illustration

The evergreen species of Berberis are slightly less hardy (-15°C) than the deciduous ones (-35°C). They form a dense bush between 1 and 3 m often extended by a tangle of arching branches that makes a barberry hedge impenetrable. Birds find protection from predators there. The alternate, leathery, glossy green leaves are dentate, sometimes even spiny on the edges like holly. The size of the lamina varies from 1 to 2 cm long in Berberis darwinii to 4 cm in linearifolia. The branches are also armed with thorns arranged in threes resulting from the transformation of leaves.

The flowers of Berberis are often yellow or orange, sometimes cream or reddish, measuring 3 to 15 mm in diameter and grouped in clusters, solitary, or sometimes in umbels. The 6 yellow sepals, preceded by 3 scale-like prophyllum, fall quickly after blooming. The 6 petals with nectariferous glands remain, along with 6 stamens and a pistil. The generally fragrant flowering is highly melliferous, attracting numerous pollinators in early spring.

The fruits are small round or elongated berries often very decorative in autumn, tinted pink, red, or blue-black, sour, sometimes tasty, containing one or more pips. The berries of Berberis vulgaris are consumed dried in Iran under the name zereshk but also in the form of jam, jelly, or syrup.

The name Berberis was assigned by Carl von Linné, who believed the shrub originated from the region inhabited by the Berbers (Algeria).

Berberis thunbergii: flowering and fruiting (photo Clint Budd-Flickr)

The main varieties of Berberis

Remarkable Evergreen Varieties

Remarkable Deciduous Varieties

Berberis darwinii Compacta - Barberry

Dwarf form of Berberis darwinii, very compact, perfect as ground cover, in a low hedge, in rockeries, or in a container on the terrace. Its small, shiny, dark green leaves are adorned with a beautiful spring and autumn flowering of very bright orange-yellow. A decorative bush, low-maintenance and hardy to frost down to -15°C, tolerating poor, dry soils and sea spray.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 90 cm

See the product sheet

Berberis x frikartii Amstelveen - Barberry

This hybrid Berberis has a spreading habit with large, glossy, very dark green leaves that turn red in autumn due to the cold. The pale yellow flowers appear in April-May. It makes a good all-terrain ground cover to adorn a slope or the top of a wall throughout the year and adapts very well to container growing.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 1,30 m

See the product sheet

Berberis x media Red Jewel - Barberry

This compact, spiny bush offers semi-evergreen, rounded foliage in a lovely dark red shade in spring, gradually turning to dark green. Its spring flowering is golden yellow. Ideal for a defensive hedge mixed with Abelia.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 2 m

See the product sheet

Berberis thunbergii Thunderbolt

Thunberg variety, exceptionally evergreen, with very dark, shiny purple-brown foliage that highlights the abundant yellow flowers marked with red in May-June, followed by purple berries. Bushy and low habit particularly suited for small spaces and container growing.

• Flowering time May to July
• Height at maturity 90 cm

See the product sheet

Berberis thunbergii Bagatelle - Barberry

Dwarf spiny bush, remarkable for its very shiny dark purple foliage dotted with pale yellow flowers tinged with red in spring. Suitable for low hedges, as ground cover, or as a specimen. It lends itself well to ball pruning.

• Flowering time February
• Height at maturity 40 cm

See the product sheet

Berberis thunbergii Golden Carpet - Barberry

Excellent low-spiny ground cover, frost-resistant and tolerant of fairly poor, calcareous soils. Its leaves emerge golden yellow to chartreuse green, before turning orange in autumn. Ideal for brightening a semi-shaded area or for container growing.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

 

Berberis thunbergii Admiration - Barberry

Stunning compact, spiny bush, very graphic, with light purple leaves edged in yellow that turn red-orange in autumn. Creates a beautiful association with Pieris and herbaceous peonies.

• Flowering time June
• Height at maturity 1,20 m

See the product sheet

Berberis thunbergii Orange Rocket - Barberry

Upright spiny bush with flamboyant foliage in spring, changing from bright orange to soft green at maturity, then to bright red in autumn. Its discreet yellow spring flowering is followed by the production of small bright red berries.

• Flowering time June
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

See the product sheet

Young plantation

Where to plant Berberis?

Barberries are well resistant to pollution and appreciate, with few exceptions, all types of fresh to dry, well-drained soils, even poor and calcareous. The species Berberis darwinii prefers however clayey, neutral to acidic, humus-bearing or light soils but tolerates drought very well once established.

A sunny position promotes the intense colouring of deciduous foliage as well as flowering, but Berberis are accommodating and are content with partial shade in the South and West of France. The species with evergreen foliage prefer semi-shade rather than full sun and in a sheltered area from winds. They are slightly less cold-resistant than deciduous species, -15°C compared to -40°C for B. x ottawensis, but they tolerate sea spray. Late frosts sometimes affect young shoots, but the plant produces new shoots without any problem.

When to plant?

Plant Berberis preferably in autumn to ensure deep rooting before facing summer drought. Container plants can however be planted at any time except during frost or drought.

How to plant?

Prefer plants that are not too developed, around 30-40 cm, to ensure good recovery. Wear thick gloves, goggles, and heavy clothing to protect yourself from sharp thorns.

When planting, the planting hole should be twice the size of the root ball. Space Berberis about 1 m apart. Add potting soil and water well. This is a bush that does not require pruning, but can tolerate it after flowering, as long as it is not too severe. It can be cut back occasionally to prevent it from becoming bare in the centre. Be careful not to handle the branches bare-handed as they have thorns that are difficult to remove once embedded in the skin.

• Dig a planting hole twice the diameter of the root ball and 30-40 cm deep. Dig a trench if creating a hedge.
• Add a 10 cm drainage layer (gravel, sand…) if your soil is clayey.
• Add manure, compost, or potting soil if the soil is poor.
• Place the plant in the planting hole. To create a Berberis hedge, space your plants 60, 80 to 100 cm apart depending on the vigour of the variety. Dwarf rockery species, especially if trimmed into a ball, can be spaced 40 cm apart.
• Replace the soil and lightly compact it.
• Do not hesitate to cut back the shoots by about 1/4 of their length to densify the branches.
• Water generously.
• Remember to spread a good layer of mulch at the base to maintain good moisture around the roots and avoid the chore of weeding in a somewhat hostile environment!

The purple colour of Berberis thunbergii ‘Rosy Glow’ contrasts with the green foliage of a low hedge of Taxus baccata

Pruning and maintenance

Water regularly for the first two years, especially during hot and dry periods. This bush requires no other maintenance than pruning if you desire a well-ordered hedge.

Pruning Berberis

For evergreen species (buxifolia, candidula, darwinii, stenophylla, verruculosa…) planted in groups, perform a light balancing prune just after spring flowering, which should be done on wood from the previous year or older. Removing the flowers prevents you from enjoying the berries, which are black or bluish in this category. You can prune the oldest branches every 3-4 years, except for darwinii and stenophylla.

Prune deciduous species (thunbergii, ottawensis) grown as a hedge every year in March or even more frequently, to encourage foliage. If you want to enjoy the red berries, allow your bush, placed at the back of a group or isolated, to grow freely. It is also possible to cut back the entire plant (resulting in no flowers for at least 2 years) or just the oldest branches to rejuvenate it from the base every 3-4 years in winter.

→ Learn more about the pruning of Berberis in our advice sheet.

Possible Diseases and Pests

In well-drained soil, it is rare for Berberis to be subject to diseases (sometimes showing signs of powdery mildew and rust which can be controlled by avoiding wetting the foliage). Horsetail manure can be applied against rust. They also resist pollution very well.

Be cautious of the proximity to a wheat field as Berberis is likely to contaminate it with rust. Some countries impose controls on this bush.

→ Learn more about diseases and pests of Berberis in our advice sheet!

Multiplication: propagating a berberis

You can easily propagate berberis by layering a portion of a branch or by propagation by cuttings.

Propagation by Cuttings

Proceed with all Berberis in August-September using heel cuttings taken from semi-ripe branches. Deciduous species can also be propagated by cuttings in late spring using young herbaceous shoots.

Prepare a deep pot by filling it with a mixture of potting soil and sand, or carry out your cuttings in open ground if it is light, after aerating it with a fork, then moistening it.

• Take cuttings of 10 cm in length.
• Remove the leaves near the base of the cutting as well as the thorns.
• Dip the base in plant hormone.
• Insert the cuttings in a nursery under a frame.
• Repot the young plants the following spring in a substrate enriched with garden soil.
• Plant them in the garden in autumn.

Uses and associations

the Berberis x ottawensis and thunbergii Atropurpurea as a medium to large hedge plant. These large deciduous Berberis placed at the back of a flowerbed and left natural can also provide a beautiful splash of colour, more or less flashy depending on the cultivars, in spring, then in summer, but especially in autumn. To complement a defensive hedge, mix the barberry with European or Provence gorse (Ulex parviflorus), Japanese quince, hollies, rugosa roses, and white-flowering Poncirus trifoliata with a citrus scent…

An example of a mid-shade association: Berberis thunbergii, Aruncus dioïcus ‘Sylvestris’, Dryopteris filix-mas, Iris pseudacorus, Lysimachia punctata, Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegata’, Hosta ‘Old Glory’, Astilbe simplicifolia ‘Hennie Graafland’

Berberis can also associate well with flowering shrubs such as Forsythia intermedia Spectabilis, abelias, Deutzia, Escallonia…

The notable subjects for their habit like Berberis Green Carpet, Tiny Gold can create a colourful checkerboard in a rockery, a bank or a pot garden alongside Nandina ‘Fire Power’ with its purplish tones, silver-leaved artemisias, Juniperus x media ‘Blaauw’ with bluish-green reflections, etc. They can also be installed in a compact shrub bed composed of Abelia Kaleidoscope or Petite Garden, and landscape roses that they will support during flowering.

An example of a sparkling association: Rose ‘Lavender Dream’, Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea Nana’

The small Berberis thunbergii Atropurpurea Nana or Bagatelle allow you to punctuate the beds with cute purple balls of 30 cm in diameter.

The evergreen Berberis darwinii can perfectly replace the Pyracantha in a medium-sized defensive hedge, which should not be pruned too much: its naturally dense and tidy habit does not require it. While its berries are less spectacular than those of the Pyracantha, it offers the advantage of maintaining modest dimensions and flowering twice, while providing more elegant foliage. But it also deserves to be alongside variegated foliage or to be placed in the foreground in front of a large rainbow screen made up of Ceanothus Puget Blue, pink, mauve or white Abelias, red-flowering Japanese quinces, Kerria japonica, Genista Lena or climbing honeysuckle Dropmore Scarlett with yellow-orange tones. Some, with great originality, even train it into a small tree with a single trunk by clearing a trunk and regularly pruning the branches.

The small compact shrubs from 1 to 1.20 m like Berberis thunbergii Admiration or ‘Orange Rocket’ can constitute a low hedge, alongside shrubs with golden or silver foliage. They can also highlight a bed of perennials such as herbaceous peonies flowering in May-June.

→ Learn more about associations with Berberis.