Barberries
Barberries
This page on Barberries is for information only. We are no longer allowed to sell them here in Pennsylvania.
BarberriesĀ are some of the most beautiful and colorful shrubs available. They keep most of their color all year long until the frost hits them.
New growth is usually spectacular in color. Barberry bushes are easy to keep pruned to a full and compact size and shape. Some do it without much of your help.
Flowering on a Barberry is usually not a highlight. If even visible, there will be tiny yellow flowers tucked in among all the leaves and needles.
Needles, needles, and more needles
They grow many extremely sharp needles. Lots of them. Handle with care and use leather gloves.
Barberry branches are loaded with lots of very sharp needles. They usually grow in tandem and are well hidden among the leaves. For this reason, be careful handling the plants because the tips can break off in a finger or leg and be very painful and even get infected.
They can be used as effective hedges or borders under windows. Any place that you don’t want people or animals to go, Barberry will work. Of course, they are so beautiful that you just might want to put them front and center to showcase them.
Some varieties will have little red seedpods in the fall. Birds can eat these and inadvertently spread the seeds. This has caused some areas of the country to declare them as invasive. They don’t grow true to the parent plant either.
We are no longer permitted to sell Barberry plants here in Pennsylvania. This is for information purposes ONLY!
Rose Glow
Rose Glow
Berberis thunbergii ‘Rose Glow’
2 to 5 feet high and 2 to 4 feet wide
Full sun
Small oval-shaped leaves are burgundy on red stems. New growth is pink and white variegation, giving the plant its glowing namesake appearance. Branches are loaded with very sharp needles.
Crimson Pygmy
Crimson Pygmy
Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea Nana’
1 to 2 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide
Full sun
Small reddish-green oval leaves abound on red stems. New growth is bright red in color. These keep small in size without pruning. Branches are loaded with very sharp needles.
Golden
Golden
Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea’
2 to 4 feet high and 3 to 5 feet wide
Full sun
Small oval-shaped leaves are golden yellow, especially in full sun. Less sun gives them a green tint. Branches are loaded with very sharp needles.
