Berberis thunbergii Orange Torch - Barberry

Berberis thunbergii 'Orange Torch' is a horticultural variety of barberry which bright foliage changes colour with the seasons. In spring, orange vies with yellow, before gradually turning to light green during summer. When autumn arrives, the shrub glows with orange-red before the leaves eventually fall to the ground. In spring, it produces small red flower buds that open into tiny yellow flowers. After fertilization, they develop to give, in autumn, small ornamental fruits of a brilliant red. An easy-to-grow shrub, tolerating sun well and requiring little maintenance, this Berberis is unrivalled for enlivening a flower bed with its cheerful colours, and its compactness will allow it to be easily grown in a container.

Berberis is the flagship genus of the Berberidaceae family, which owes its name to it and includes several other ornamental genera. Mahonias are thus highly prized for their decorative foliage and their brilliant yellow flowering, which is winter-flowering for most of them, while the charming Epimediums captivate with their graceful flowering, which earns them the nickname "Warley bishop's hat", as well as their great tolerance for shade. There are between 400 and 500 species of Berberis, with deciduous or evergreen foliage, forming dwarf shrubs up to large shrubs several metres tall. They are easily recognised by their thorns, which are weakly developed as in B. buxifolia 'Nana' or formidable in some botanical species, and by their wood, which is yellow in colour if the bark is removed. B. vulgaris is the barberry in the strict sense, but by habit, other species of the genus are often referred to as such.
Berberis thunbergii is a species that has given rise to many cultivars, including 'Orange Torch', a selection from French Minier nurseries, introduced to the market in 2015. This modern variety has since established itself as one of the best foliage shrubs. Compact, it develops an almost columnar, distinctly upright habit, reaching in 10 years approximately 1 m in height and 60 cm in width, and not exceeding 1.20 m by 80 cm at maturity. Although its growth is quite dense, it has a somewhat untidy silhouette, particularly due to the fine branches that zigzag at each node. When in spring, the young leaves of an orange close to red stand out against the rest of the foliage which displays a bright yellow, it is then easy to liken it to a torch waving in the wind. When planted in isolation, it is then preferable not to prune it, as its natural irregular shape proves very aesthetic and suggestive. The small leaves, 2 to 3 cm, are rounded at the tip, narrow abruptly towards the branch side to attach directly to it, without a petiole. They are grouped in several, forming a small cluster from which emerges a short thorn about 1 cm long, nevertheless quite sharp. Over the weeks, the foliage turns to a very pleasant light green, thus donning its summer livery. Then, in autumn, the foliage again takes on warm colours, lighting up in red and orange tones before falling to the ground.
In May, the shrub is adorned with numerous small flower buds coloured red. They open into small yellow flowers, 10 to 12 mm, too discreet to be truly ornamental. However, they have the advantage of being melliferous and thus useful to pollinators, and above all of later developing into fruits, admittedly small (approximately 8 mm in diameter) but of a bright red that makes them frankly decorative from September onwards.

The Thunberg's Barberry 'Orange Torch' is a shrub that easily adapts to different types of soil and which, if used in a low hedge, tolerates pruning well. Its compactness also makes it a good terrace plant. In the garden, you can integrate it into a mixed flower bed where it will add a very aesthetic colourful touch. Plant it alongside flowering shrubs and perennials to compensate for the discretion of its flowering. A Japanese Quince 'Cido Red' will thus dazzle you with its early flowering of a brilliant red and give you in autumn very decorative and edible golden-yellow quinces. A clump of Japanese spirea 'Halward's Silver' will be weighed down in May-June under an avalanche of small white flowers. And, to best highlight the colours of your Berberis's foliage, simply plant in the background an evergreen with dark green foliage like a Viburnum tinus (Laurustinus) or a Portuguese Laurel.