Berberis thunbergii Concorde - Barberry

The Berberis thunbergii 'Concorde' is an exceptional variety with its dark purple velvety foliage, resistant to strong sun exposure! It offers changing colours from spring to autumn, first with cherry red young shoots and then again with autumnal red foliage. It is a bushy shrub with thin and spiny branches, whose limited growth and particularly slow growth make it suitable for creating beautiful borders or small hedges, or for accompanying other plants in rockeries or flower beds. Easy to grow, it tolerates partial shade and well-drained soils, but its colouration is more intense in full sun.

Berberis thunbergii, also known as Japanese Barberry is a shrub in the Berberidaceae family native to Japan. It is characterized by a bushy, spreading, and low habit, and deciduous foliage, almost evergreen in mild climates. The colour of its foliage intensifies in full sun. Hardy and resistant to temporary drought, it is a very easy shrub to grow in well-drained soils.

The 'Concorde' cultivar is a slow-growing variety, reaching about 60cm (23.6in) in all directions. The branches range in colour from beige to light brown and are erect and well-branched in this variety with small thorns. Its colourful foliage is the main asset of this barberry. It consists of glossy leaves, measuring 2 to 3cm (0.8 - 1.2in) long and obovate (ovate, with the upper part of the leaf wider than the lower part). When they emerge, they show a cherry red colour, then as they mature, they become dark purple. In autumn, they turn red before falling. In May-June, numerous clusters of 1 to 6 small flowers bloom on 1-year-old stems. The bell-shaped flowers, 1cm (0.4 in) long, are pale yellow marked with red. They are very nectar-rich and are followed in September-October by small bright red spherical fruits, 6 to 8mm (0.2 - 0.3in) long, which persist on the branches for part of the winter.

Thunberg's Barberry is a very accommodating shrub in terms of soil, tolerating pruning very well, but clearly preferring sunny exposures. It is a shame to confine it to the role of a monochrome and anonymous defensive hedge shrub; while it fulfills this mission perfectly, its personality is stifled and its naturally graceful habit is completely obscured. The velvety foliage of 'Concorde' deserves a prime location in front of larger shrubs with pink flowers (Kolkwitzia, Abelia, Abeliophyllum distichum 'Roseum'), red flowers (Japanese Quinces, roses, Weigelas), or even yellow to orange flowers (Kerria japonica, Genista Lena Orange, Dropmore Scarlett Honeysuckle). To create strong contrasts, it can also be paired with the silver foliage of small artemisias like 'Little Mice' or the variegated cream foliage of perennials like 'herbes aux goutteux panachées'.