Proper use of barberry in landscape design for maximum aesthetics

The variety of garden cultures and the multitude of decorative plant species open up vast possibilities for landscape design. However, with such diversity, it's easy to get lost, not knowing what to choose.

Nevertheless, there are several basic types of plants widely used in landscape architecture - their presence gives the garden space a special charm. For example, the barberry - this article will focus on it. We will tell you how it began to be used as an ornamental plant and why it continues to be employed in landscape design time and again.

A Few Facts About Barberry

Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris) belongs to the Berberidaceae family (Barberry), the Berberidoideae subfamily, the tribe of flowering plants Berberideae, is part of the genus Barberry (Berberis), and belongs to the order of dicotyledonous flowering plants Ranunculales (Buttercups).

It first appears in descriptions with a botanical illustration in the book "Flora of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland" (Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz), authored by Prof. dr. Thomé, edition of 1885.

Barberry has been used in landscape design for a very long time - it was employed since the times of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Such constancy and demand are due to the plant's decorative properties and its unpretentiousness. Thanks to these qualities, it has maintained its popularity over the centuries and remains an invariable attribute of landscape architecture to this day.

Barberry became known long before it was scientifically classified. It is assumed that its name comes from the Arabic berbaris - "Berber shell" - due to the resemblance of the plant's small oblong fruits to it. Furthermore, barberry was actively used in folk medicine; its flowers and leaves were attributed with healing properties. It was used in ancient India and other countries where it was widespread, and honey was made from it.

Before Common Barberry became widespread, its habitat was concentrated in East Asia; the plant was also found in some forest-steppe areas of Southern Europe and the Caucasus. Barberry loves light, so it is common in open areas. Typical habitats include lawns, forest edges, and mountain slopes at altitudes up to two thousand meters.

Popular Decorative Varieties

The most popular varieties are listed below.

We also recommend reading the article Barberry Thunberg's Aurea - description and use in landscape design.

Barberry Thunberg 'Green Carpet'

Mature plants can grow up to 1 meter in height, its leaves are bright green, uniformly colored. The plant blooms in May, its flowers are bright red with a yellow center.

By autumn, the foliage acquires a crimson-orange hue; in September, bright red fruits appear in the form of oblong berries with a glossy sheen, which can remain on the bush all winter.

Barberry Thunberg 'Golden Ring'

This bush can grow up to 2.5 meters in height and has a rounded shape. The color of the leaves is burgundy, with a golden border around the perimeter, thanks to which the variety got its name 'Golden Ring'.

Yellow flowers with a red center bloom in May. The beginning of autumn is the period of ripening of red berries. This is perhaps one of the most spectacular varieties of barberry.

Barberry Thunberg 'Atropurpurea'

A dense, spreading shrub that can reach 1.5 meters in height. The leaves are dense, rounded, of a rich purple color. The flowers are bright yellow, blooming in May. Well suited for forming hedges but requires regular trimming.

Barberry Thunberg 'Atropurpurea Nana'

A variety of barberry with a dense, thick crown, reaching up to 1 m in height. It has purple foliage of a soft shade, which becomes more saturated by autumn.

In May, the shrub blooms profusely; the blooming flowers have small red petals and a yellow center. In autumn, berries of a rich purple color appear.

Barberry Thunberg 'Dart's Red Lady'

This is a low, dense shrub, no more than 0.8 meters in height. Glossy leaves can change shade; depending on the viewing angle in sunlight, they can appear deep purple or brown; in autumn they acquire a striking orange color.

This variety of barberry blooms throughout May; the shrub is distinguished by yellow flowers with a carmine transition, standing out against the dark foliage, as well as elegantly shaped berries.

Barberry Thunberg 'Red Rocket'

The shrub has an elongated crown, reaching up to 2 meters in height, and its foliage is purple, which is why this type of barberry was named 'Red Rocket'.

Interestingly, by autumn, when the color of the foliage of most plants turns yellow or red, the foliage of the 'Red Rocket', on the contrary, acquires a green color. With age, the girth of the shrub can reach six meters, which must be considered when choosing a planting location. This species blooms in May; in autumn, characteristic red berries form on the bush.

Barberry Thunberg 'Golden Horizon'

A low shrub up to 0.7 meters in height. It is usually planted in the foreground; it has matte foliage of a striking golden-green color. By autumn, it acquires a bright orange hue.

In May, cream-yellow flowers bloom. The berries are red and are distinguished by their small size. In summer, the richly yellow shrub looks very interesting.

Barberry Thunberg 'Maria'

This unusual variety has a spike-shaped crown, reaching one and a half meters in height. The peculiarity of this variety is that throughout the season the foliage of the shrub gradually changes color, becoming successively green, golden, pinkish, purple, and brown. Thanks to this, the garden looks new every time.

Flowers with yellow petals bloom in May; by autumn, red berries form.

Barberry Thunberg 'Rose Glow'

A spreading shrub distinguished by an unusual purple-pink color of leaves. On old shoots, they have a crimson color, and fresh growth is distinguished by silvery-pinkish veins on the foliage. The shoot has a rich red color.

It blooms for several weeks, starting from the end of May.

Ottawa Barberry

This variety was artificially bred by crossing the purple form of common barberry with Barberry Thunberg. It was first demonstrated in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. A tall shrub, reaching 2-3 meters in height. The shape and height of the crown vary depending on the variety.

It is perfect for forming hedges, which is why it has become popular. Among its other advantages are good frost resistance and fast growth; it can increase up to 35 cm in height per year.

Ball-fruited Barberry (Berberis sphaerocarpa)

A tall shrub from its natural habitat, reaching up to 2.5 meters in height. This variety was brought from Asia to Europe. It differs from other varieties in its dark blue berries with a bluish bloom and a less striking leaf color, which has a grayish-green tint. The fruits of this barberry variety have a good taste and are suitable for use in cooking.

Among the disadvantages is lower frost resistance compared to other varieties of the family.

Use of Barberry in Landscape Design

Barberry did not accidentally gain the love and recognition of gardeners. The huge variety of forms and sizes of the shrub allows it to be used in a wide variety of compositions, and its beautiful coloring attracts attention. The diversity and richness of the foliage color palette, beautiful flowering, and bright berries make this shrub an indispensable decorative element in landscape design.

This plant invariably arouses and maintains interest not only among inexperienced gardeners but also among experienced landscape designers. The unpretentiousness of barberry and its beauty, which lasts throughout the season, ensure the enduring popularity of this plant in landscape architecture.

Barberry gets along well with other plants, but when choosing a planting site, a number of conditions must be observed. For example, cherry, poplar, elder, and walnut can release chemicals that negatively affect the growth of barberry, which can lead to the gradual death of the plant.

Forming a Hedge

Perennial shrubs develop strong thorns on their branches, which allows barberry to be used for forming hedges. Thanks to the density of the plant, the fence becomes almost impenetrable.

Advantages of using barberry as a hedge:

• Dense foliage thoroughly masks the thorns; the hedge does not look aggressive.
• Such a fence has maximum impenetrability among all types of plants; it cannot be overcome not only by people but also by animals.
• The hedge looks beautiful throughout the year thanks to beautiful flowering, lush bright foliage, and saturated berry color.

Thanks to the varieties of barberry, which vary in height, it can be used in different purposes on the same plot. For example, a tall shrub can be planted to hide part of the territory from prying eyes, medium-height varieties allow zoning the territory, and low-growing varieties are well suited for forming paths, framing borders, and flower beds.

Solitary Planting

Solitary planting, solitaire (from Lat. solitarius - lonely) - a method of planting plants designed to focus attention on a certain part of the garden composition.

With this method, a single plant or an isolated compact group of plantings is planted on the site. This method also achieves a visual expansion of small areas.

When designing a solitaire, it is necessary to maintain a proportion of 1:3 - the height of the plant should be one third of the width and length of the area.

Barberry perfectly masks unsightly walls, outbuildings, and everything that needs to be hidden from prying eyes. If you follow the above rules, you can successfully correct the symmetry of a site with geometric disproportions and beautifully decorate the entrance to the estate.

Flower Bed Design

The variety of barberry's color palette, forms, and shrub sizes opens up wide scope for creativity and the implementation of various flower bed design ideas. For example:

• barberry is equally good both when space is limited (as a single accent) and for zoning a vast territory (when forming borders);
• in two-sided flower beds, the shrub perfectly forms the necessary volume and creates tiers;
• low-growing varieties are good for forming borders in large flower beds, and medium-growing ones are excellent for solitary planting;
• if you need to create an area that retains decorativeness for a long time, barberry will cope with this role perfectly, as its foliage maintains color saturation throughout the season;
• it is well suited for flower beds with a predominance of tall plant species, and you can combine tall and short barberry varieties;
• thanks to the variety of varieties, the number of possible combinations is almost unlimited, and besides, barberry combines with many other plants.

How to Propagate Barberry

You can engage in barberry propagation all year round. There are several ways to propagate the plant:

• Autumn is well suited for dividing bushes and preparing shoots for planting in open ground in spring. Planting rooted cuttings in autumn is more favorable, as the plant has time to prepare for growth and development in spring over the winter.
• In spring, in April and May, in addition to planting cuttings rooted over the winter, you can start propagating barberry by dividing the bush.
• Summer is good for pruning barberry bushes and cuttings.

Vegetative propagation methods have become the most widespread, as they are the simplest and most effective. But dividing the bush and cuttings are not the only ways of propagation. It is also possible to breed barberry using seeds. The pollination process is not controllable, so the result can be unusual. As a rule, plants obtained from seeds differ significantly from the parent ones in the shape of the shrub, as well as the color of the leaves and flowers.

Compared to other plants, barberry is quite easy to propagate by seeds. You only need to consider a few rules:

1. Seeds should be collected in late autumn directly from the bush.
2. After collection, they must be cleaned of the remains of berry pulp, dried, and stored until the end of winter.
3. In mid-February, soak the seeds in water for two days, keep them in a closed container outside for 3 days if the winter is warm - put them in the freezer.
4. Then store the seeds at room temperature.
5. Plant in a greenhouse after they swell.

Cultivation and Care

One of the virtues of barberry is its extreme unpretentiousness. This shrub has very low requirements for soil acidity and its structure. Before planting, it is enough to add fertilizer or a nutrient mixture - and the shrub will feel great for a long time. The only condition that must be observed is good soil drainage, as the plant does not tolerate excess moisture and quickly dies when water stagnates.

From the second year after planting, you can start feeding the bushes; this promotes more intense flowering and improves the condition of the foliage. Weeding is also beneficial for barberry.

Conclusion

The variety of varieties and the spectacular appearance of barberry are so good that its popularity has not faded for centuries. The multitude of options for its use and the possibility of creating many compositions have long inspired breeders to develop new varieties and designers to use them in landscape architecture. Thanks to this, barberry is becoming more widespread and continues to delight all gardeners who are not indifferent to it.