How to grow Berberis
Pruning and Deadheading
If you can it’s best to leave berberis untouched, as it flowers and fruits on the previous year’s growth. This means pruning, no matter when you do it, will always interrupt the display in some way.
If you need to restrict size or your berberis is becoming congested, our advice is as follows.
Deciduous species can be pruned in mid to late winter:
- Remove any dead, diseased, damaged, or spindly growth at ground level, then go on to take out some of the older stems, also at ground level. If you need to restrict size, you can take the remaining stems back to a set of healthy buds.
- An alternative way to restrict size whilst creating a more natural shape is to coppice (i.e., cut the whole thing down to just above ground level) every few years in late winter or early spring. Be aware that this will mean no flowers or fruits the following year, though normal service should be resumed after this.
Evergreen species can be shaped lightly immediately after flowering, or again, hard pruned (coppiced) down to just above ground level in early spring.
Hedges are best trimmed straight after flowering.
Watering
Like all trees an
Zaštita berberisa od štetočina
Mlade sadnice berberisa su veoma osetljive i podložne napadu raznih bolesti bakterijskog ili gljivičnog porekla. Sušenje može biti prouzrokovano bolestima korena, bolestima lista (antraknoza i pepelnice), kao i bolestima sprovodnih sudova. Da bi se mlade biljke sačuvale, potrebno ih je preventivno i redovno zaštititi i prihranjivati od početka vegetacije i u toku vegetacije, najbolje pre kiše, da bi se sprečio dalji razvoj neke od ovih bolest i biljka ojačala i razvila dobar korenov sistem. Preporuka je da prskate na svakih dana koktelom Wuxal super (50ml/10 l vode) +Antracol (25g/10 l vode) + Zato (4g/10 l vode), neposredno pošto ste orezali i uklonili sve suve grane kod bolesnih sadnica. Kod pojave lišnih vašiju, cikada i drugih insekata ovom koktelu dodajte neki od insekticida (Actara, Confidor, Calypso).
Suzana Kljajić,
dipl. inž. poljoprivrede
za zaštitu bilja i fitopatolog
Berberis - Care Guide
Barberry
Berberis come in so many forms, shapes and heights, and have so many varied uses in the garden, that it is difficult to maintain a common theme when attempting to describe them all to you. Burncoose offers 16 to 20 different varieties of Berberis so I have categorised them for you as best I can below.
All are totally hardy and very easy to grow. They will grow in almost any well drained soil in full sun or dappled shade. Fruiting and autumn colours are best in full sun. Evergreen species need minimal pruning (merely tidying up) while deciduous varieties are best cut back fairly severely after flowering (say 25%) to produce new growth and more flowers next year. Pruning deciduous varieties need not be undertaken every year. Berberis grown as hedge are also best shaped and pruned immediately after the flowers have finished.
Larger shrubby Berberis
The little known, and rare in the wild, Berberis valdiviana from Chile is the largest growing species which we grow. At Antony House in Cornwall near Torpoint these form avenues of ft tall small trees. The long drooping racemes of saffron yellow flowers are really quite a sight. This is an evergree
Barberry shrubs, otherwise known as berberis, are easy-to-grow, small or medium-sized, and thorny. They can be deciduous or evergreen and grow naturally across northern Europe, northern Asia and also South America.
The foliage of these low-maintenance shrubs is usually small and rounded or oval in shape, and the leaves of deciduous varieties often change to fiery fall colors. Short, sharp spines develop at the leaf joints, often in threes. The wood of barberry branches and twigs is a distinctive yellow color.
The small flowers, usually yellow or orange, appear in clusters in spring which can create a colorful display. In many varieties, they are followed by small, egg-shaped berries that tend to be dark blue, black or red. Even an isolated plant will often produce a prolific crop of them.
'As ornamental shrubs, the barberries have many good qualities and several of them are in the very first rank of garden plants. They prefer warm, loamy soil, but are by no means fastidious,' says the international experts at Trees and Shrubs Online.
(Image credit: Rex May/Alamy Stock Photo)
Barberry key facts:
- Plant type: Deciduous and evergreen shrubs
- Mature size: ft (60cm-3m)
-
How to Grow Berberis - Plant Care & Tips
Berberis is a plant that is native to the temperate regions of the world. It is a member of the rose family and is closely related to the grape. The plant is a shrub that can grow to a height of 10 feet. The leaves are green and the flowers are yellow. The fruit of the plant is a small, red berry.
Also called
- Berberis thunbergii
- Japanese barberry
- Red barberry
- Thunberg's barberry
- Wintersweet
Things to Know
- Berberis is a genus of plants in the family Berberidaceae, native to temperate and subtropical regions of the Old World.
- The genus comprises about species, ranging from herbs to large shrubs or small trees.
- The most well-known member of the genus is the common barberry, Berberis vulgaris.
- Berberis species are often used as ornamental plants, and several hybrids and cultivars have been developed for garden use.
- Several Berberis species are used in traditional medicine, and extracts from some species have shown activity against certain human diseases in laboratory studies.
- The genus name Berberis is derived from the Arabic word for "barberry", and the plants are sometimes known by this name in English.
- The
- Berberis thunbergii