Berberis julianae - Saint Julians Barberry

Berberis julianae, also known as Saint Julian's barberry, belongs to a group of hardy, low-maintenance shrubs. Like many other barberries it has a medium size and forms a slightly upright and particularly dense, very thorny bush, which plays its role perfectly in a defensive hedge. Its evergreen foliage is its main asset: with a glossy dark green colour, it takes on a beautiful red hue when it gets cold, which is very decorative during the gloomy days of winter. Its yellow flowering is quite discreet, but it often appears twice a year, in spring and again in autumn, with foliage that has turned red. In the garden, it is a trouble-free plant, hardy and with great adaptability. Tolerating all exposures and a wide range of soils, this thorny shrub is, like Darwin's barberry, an excellent alternative to pyracantha.

The Julian Barberry is a shrub belonging to the Berberidaceae family, native to mountainous regions from central to western China, perfectly adapted to our climates, even the harshest ones. It can grow in a wide range of soils, even heavy, clayey, and limestone soils. It has a bushy, dense, branching, taller-than-wide habit, formed by angular branches with long trifurcated thorns. Initially upright, they bend down towards the ground as they age. The shrub has a beige-grey bark that cracks with age. It grows quite slowly, reaching an average height of 3m (9.8ft) and a width of 1.5m (3.3ft) at maturity. From March to May, depending on the climate, small clusters of about thirty fragrant, yellow flowers with red markings and reddish stems, appear on the branches. This barberry often offers a second flowering in late autumn or early winter. Flowers are followed by small fleshy fruits, oblong, with a chalky blue colour, turning black when ripe. The young shoots and leaves are slightly pink. The adult, evergreen leaves are lanceolate to elliptical, 3 to 8cm long (3.1in), leathery, with dentate edges and ending in a spiny point, arranged in small alternate clusters on the branches. Their colour is a glossy dark green, lighter on the underside. They turn orange-red at the first cold temperatures.

Curiously, the Julian Barberry is rarely recommended to gardeners who want to create a defensive and evergreen hedge, both effective and beautiful to look at. Although not spectacular, it can perfectly replace Pyracantha or be associated with it: its naturally dense and compact habit does not require pruning, and it does not tend to send its branches in all directions. However, like Pyracantha, it can grow anywhere, even in poor or compact soils that are disliked by many shrubs. While its berries are less spectacular than those of Pyracantha, it has the advantage of maintaining modest dimensions and offering beautiful colours in the garden in autumn and winter. This shrub can also be planted in large rockeries, to cover slopes or be part of an understory, as it perfectly tolerates shade. Make sure to plant it away from pathways, due to its formidable thorns.