Barberry, a great shrub for the landscape

June 10th, 2007

Two Barberry Varieties, yellow & red There is something to be said about barberries. They do not have beautiful flowers. Their scent can be bad. Their foliage, though nice, is beat by other plants. And yet I find myself thinking of them as one of the best bushes for the landscape.

The reasons? Sheer growability. Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) are hardy to zone 4, can take sun or shade, wet or dry, and will come back strong after a beating. We had one growing up along our foundation when we had new siding put on. Because of the thorns I needed to remove it so the workers could do their thing. I cut it down, and since I was too lazy to dig it up (it was quite mature) I just attacked it’s root ball with an axe and left it covered with debris. It was stepped on and worked on for months… and the plant came back and grew to 4 feet the next year. Any plant that can take that kind of abuse cannot be all bad.

Critters also will not eat barberry. It has been used as a herbal medicine and apparently it has a very bitter taste. I know it’s yellowish wood certainly does not look appetizing. So it is either from the taste, or the aforementioned spikes, but deer & rabbits leave it alone, and I mean that. I know in many gardening catalogues I’ll read “Deer tend to avoid.” and think its BS because I’ve seen deer eat that shrub before, but if anything is truly critter resistant, barberry is.

Most barberry you will find in nurseries and garden centers will be of the burgundy variety, and thats great. It is important to use contrasting colors in garden design and Barberries are a great reddish plant to use. However, there exists a newer variety that has yellow tinged foliage (pictured, along with a red variety). This variety is harder to find but with both a red and a yellow barberry you have all sorts of planting options available to you.

If there is one bad thing about barberries it is that they are deciduous, no winter interest except for a few small berries that the birds quickly eat. Though maybe further south some variety stay everygreen I hear.

So, they aren’t really standouts in any particular category, but they can be grown more or less by everyone, in almost any location, and can provide 2 nice non-green foliage colors to liven up your landscape. All that together makes them a great choice for your yard. My only word of advice would be to not plant them too close to paths of windows. Paths because of the thorns, and windows because their flowers are a little pungent (though you have to get really close to smell them).

Posted in: Gardening, Landscape Design, Planting Ideas »

26 Responses to “Barberry, a great shrub for the landscape”

Double-D Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 9:29 am
I just planted two red and one yellow barberry in front of my house. Western exposure gets H-O-T in the summer, but thought they could take it. The yellow has already lost a lot of its leaves and the reds are starting to wilt. Any suggestions?
Administrator Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Water them.

I had the same problem with my newly planted golden ones (although, never with burgundy ones). The solution was just to water them.

Like all newly planted plants they need time to establish themselves and shortly after planting their roots are usually not at full efficiency.

Most of my barberries have a hot western exposure up against a grey brick house with stone mulch. All of which radiates heat. They’re all doing fine except for that initial leaf drop from the newly planted golden ones (they’ve since recovered).

Of course, it could also be a soil problem, since these are new plantings for all you know the soil could be bad/contaminated, or something of that nature. I’ve got this one spot up near my house that is about 2ft square and everything planted there dies, outside the radius its fine, but this one small spot in poison. I think someone must have spilt a chemical there at one point.
Tracy Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 11:24 am
But, and this is a big but, Japanese Barberry is officially listed as an invasive in 20 states, with more (like my state, MN) looking at adding it soon. Yes, they can take all sorts of adversity, but I’m not sure I would recommend planting it, especially anywhere east of the Mississippi.

See this link for more information: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/beth1.htm.
Administrator Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Huh… I have never seen a barberry growing in the wild, only in gardens, and I’ve never had a seedling or other volunteer from my bushes around my house (in total I have around 20). Nor has any one plant expanded vegetatively to an invasive level (unlike something like japanese knotweed).

I wonder if the hybrids I, and most gardeners plant, are in fact sterile. It would make sense.
Mr Greenhouse Says:
June 19th, 2007 at 7:25 am
They grow well over here in the UK aswell. Great for all the reasons you mention, but the lack of winter interest always puts me off.

Any ideas for something of a similar size with a bit more going on in winter?
john peter thompson Says:
August 13th, 2007 at 3:56 am
Any thoughts on the possibility of this particular species being perhaps invasive?
Having just posted an essay, I sure wish I had waited for your posting.
tomg Says:
April 21st, 2008 at 5:50 am
Very invasive, please do not plant or recommend barberry.
Please research and blog on how to remove/conquer barberry.
Connecticut DEP is researching a way to burn the buds in Spring to kill it. ref Paul Capotosto, CT DEP, (860) 642-7239
Administrator Says:
April 21st, 2008 at 6:37 am
Again… I have dozens in my landscape and have never seen so much as a single seedling, anywhere, from any of them.
Dawn Andersson Says:
May 18th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
With the exception of the nasty job of having to remove fall leaves from the thorny branches of my barberry, I have nothing but joy from my hardy, faithful and beautiful barberry shrubs. I have both the rounded crumson pygmy and the more upright “spiny” variety. I have 50 plus shrubs, both individually and as hedge features throughout my 2-acre landscaped garden. Never have I ever encountered a “volunteer” seedling. They are truly the favorites of my garden.
Zach Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
The species selected by states for banning as invasive species is very bizarre. If “invasive” means spreading easily in the wild, then some really are, but others are not. For example, my state bans sale of Norway maples, but in 50+ years of looking at trees in woods, fields, etc., I’ve never seen them grow anywhere except in suburban neighborhoods.
Sasha Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Wow, invasive? Really? lol That’s news to me. Anyway, great article! I have 3 golden Barberries i’m planting in a new shrub garden I am starting this Fall. I love their golden shade, it should definitely contrast well with all the greens and reds. =)
Gary Popotnik Says:
April 21st, 2009 at 1:06 pm
If you have never seen barberry in the wild then your not looking. It is invasive and can displace native shrub species within the shrub layer.
Administrator Says:
April 21st, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Is it so hard to believe things are invasive or not depending on climate?

Every other house around here landscapes with it, and I walk through the wetland preserve behind our house almost daily, I’ve never seen it growing there.

I grew up living in the woods, my parent’s mailbox is a mile from their house. Never saw barberry there either.
Stacey Says:
May 9th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I think these bushes are great! I have never seen any problems with invasion in East Texas, and just bought a new one for my garden as well!
Dave Says:
May 10th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Barberry is invasive under the right conditions. I have a woods loaded with it and I have spent the past 12 years trying to clear it. Look into native species to plant for your yard and PASS on barberry.
Erik Says:
May 19th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Does anyone know about the companion planting properties of Barberry? Does it fix nitrogen or other atmospheric nutrients in the soil?

I have 7 in a property I inherited – never seen them spread or invade other spaces.
debbie Says:
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Will barberry grow healthy at a home that is located on the bay and will on occasion get sprayed with salt water?
gloria Stone Says:
July 17th, 2009 at 7:39 am
many leaves on my 2 year old barberry are turning brown, I think it gets plenty of water and not burning sun…….Does anyone know what kind of soil it likes, ie: acid or base? thanks Any help would be appreciated

Also, it is not invasive in Oregon
Connecticut Conservationist Says:
July 30th, 2009 at 3:54 am
Our Conservation Commission is currently battling barberry in a town park. It spread from an abandonded farm and now covers 10 acres. It is almost impossible to walk through and has displaced all native speciesin the forest It will take us years to remove it by hand.
Allan Says:
September 10th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
There was a barberry eradication program in the US for a long time. It is a host for stem rust of wheat and other small grains. Not all species of barberry are hosts, but the proliferation of barberry is a concern. The potential for crop loss to stem rust is very high.
Anne Says:
September 19th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I don’t see anyone mention where they live; that makes a big difference in whether a plant is invasive or not. Plants that only grow when watered in drier climates, may become invasive in wetter areas.
Larry Stern Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 11:35 am
We live in Northern New Jersey. Barberry grow wild throughout the area. The fact that it is virtually deer resistant makes it the only shrub that now grows in the woods next to our home. The forest floor was bare until the barberry took over. it may be invasive but so are the deer and at this point I will take the barberry.
Debra Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:42 am
I do woodland landscape restoration and see this dreaded plant in the woods all the time, with nothing else growing around it. Barberry is listed as an invasive because of its allelopathic properties and activities and is destroying the diverse habitats of fragile woodland gardens and protected lands. Birds eat the seeds found in peoples backyards, then disperse them. Brooklyn Botanical Garden offers a few alternatives to Barberry in their book titled “Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants”: Witch Alder, New Jersey Tea, Virginia Sweetspire, Bush Honeysuckle. PleaseBefore planting, please do the research first to determine whether a plant in question is invasive. Go to http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxiousDriver
Administrator Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:02 am
Invasiveness is always going to depend on climate.
me Says:
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:37 pm
I’m planting them because of skanks that use our fence to hop over and steal bikes in the neighborhood–along with nettles underneath.
joan Rottkamp Says:
May 12th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Dead barberry thorns can harbor an organism that when pricked by the thorns can be very dangerous. I have a friend,wearing gloves, who was pricked through the gloves. She has blood poisoning from the prick and had to undergo chemotherapy.