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Typically seen planted as thorny hedges or accent plants in yards and gardens, Barberry (also known as pepperidge bushes) are a
versatile and useful garden plant native to temperate and sub-tropical regions around the world. Berberis (in the family
Berberidaceae) is a genus of around five hundred species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, ranging from a foot to fifteen feet
tall (1-5m), though most to out around five to six feet tall. Best known for their thorns (some very small, some several inches long,
ouch), most have small, oval or tear-drop leaves that come in a variety of colours, from green to yellow to red, with deciduous
species often being known for beautiful autumn colour. Flowering in early spring, small white or yellow blossoms hang singly or in
clusters. Tiny berries set later in the summer and autumn, ripening to little oval drooping fruits in reds, oranges, blues, purples or
black.
Barberry are seldom seen in classical bonsai. Part of that is because the barberry is considered unlucky in Japan, and many of the
traditionally used species for bonsai were species that symbolized 'good luck,' like longevity (pines). Though the spines can make
barberry difficult to work with, a heavy pair of gloves or a careful hand is all that is needed to overcome this shortcoming, as the
good traits of this plant far outweigh the negative. Though they are slow to develop a thick trunk in pot culture and it is
sometimes difficult to find a thick trunked nursery specimen, impressive trunked stock can often be found growing in gardens and
old hedges, and with permission to dig, can make fantastic bonsai specimens. With their ability to back bud heavily to old wood,
small leaves, flowers and fruit, and delicate branching habits, these can make handsome bonsai in the smallest to the largest sizes.
Hardiness: Different species of barberry have different hardiness zones. Most fall from zone 4-8. If a piece of stock is being sold in
your area, ask the nursery staff to make certain it is hardy to your zone. If the piece of stock is collected from a yard in your area,
it is safe to assume it is hardy to your zone. Protect even hardy barberry in pots from temperatures below 20F to help prevent
dieback of fine twigs and root damage. Even very hardy barberry are more susceptible to frost damage in bonsai cultivation.
Light: Full sun to partial shade. Red varieties need more light to keep their foliage colour bright. Evergreen varieties tend to be
better in partial shade.
Soil: Barberry aren't particularly picky and will grow in most soil mixes with no problem, but prefer a well draining soil mix. They
prefer a neutral soil pH.
Watering: Moderate watering. As they prefer things a little on the dry side, water deeply when watering, but do not water again
until the soil is on the drier side. Evergreen barberries are prone to leaf drop in the winter due to under watering.
Fertilizer: Barberry are not very greedy plants. Use a weak liquid fertilizer or a time released formula every two to three weeks.
Because they have such shallow, fibrous roots, it is easy to cause damage with heavy fertilizers. They habitually grow wild in poor
soils, and do not need as much in the way of nutrients as some species do. Barberry are sensitive to salts in the soil, which can
cause leaf burn and other problems. If this is a possibility, check the soil pH. Barberry prefer a neutral soil pH, so adjust if the soil
is too acidic or alkaline. Flush out the soil with several heavy waterings and reduce your fertilizing and/or switch to a more gentle
fertilizer.
Pests and Diseases: Largely pest free. Occasional aphids, scale, and sawfly. Powdery mildew.
Repotting: Ever year to two years in the spring before bud break. Barberry can tolerate being repotted a little later, however they
have little tolerance for autumn repotting, and it is not recommended. Barberry have naturally shallow, fibrous root systems, and
are fairly tolerant of root pruning, though try to keep from removing more than half of the root system at a go. Evergreen species
are a little less tolerant of root pruning, and should be limited to removal of about a third of the root mass at a time.
Pruning and Styling: You may want to wear gloves when pruning your barberry. Keeping your movements slow and purposeful
also decreases the severity of any stabs you might get from the thorns.
Barberry can be pruned almost any time of year. Keep in mind that flowers form on one year old shoots, so if you wish to have
fruit on your bonsai, leave these alone.
Pinch back new growth in more developed plants to two leaves, or allow to grow out in plants still in early stages of development.
Barberries back bud well, and tolerate heavy pruning just as well, but if you are in doubt of the plants health, do not attempt
serious heavy pruning. Gradual pruning back, some each year, will ensure more even back budding through the base of the tree. If
you plan on doing a trunk chop (on a healthy and vigorously growing tree, I might add), make sure to angle the cut to the back of
the tree. While you would do this with most trees anyway, large scars from pruning do not heal over (or do so minimally) on
barberry. Keep this in mind, as they will have to be incorporated in to any design plans or hidden in some way. Large pruning
scars may need to be treated with a wood hardener to keep rot from setting in.
Clip and grow tends to work better on barberry than wiring (for shaping). First, barberry have stiff and brittle branches that break
easily. Second, the many thorns can make wiring a painful experience. If you do choose to wire, watch it carefully to keep the wire
from cutting in to the branches. You may need to rewire later in the growing season a second time if you wired in spring. Wiring
in autumn can help prevent this issue.
Barberry are prone to throw out suckers. If you are aiming for a single trunk tree, these can be removed to keep the energy of the
tree focused on the single trunk. Or they can be left and styled as a clump style.
Since barberry do not heal over large scars, dead wood styles and carving can be incorporated in to the design. Wood hardener
will be needed to protect the exposed wood. Lime sulphur will not be enough, and the very white of the sulphur can look
unnatural on a barberry.
Propagation: From seed: Seeds can be sown in early spring outside. Semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings can be taken in
summer. Air layering and ground layering (this works especially well on suckers) in late spring. As barberry sucker from the roots,
they can be also propagated by division.
Styles and Forms: informal forms in single and multi-trunked. Clump.
Species and Cultivars: Almost any species is suitable for bonsai cultivation. But some species and their habits:
B. buxifolia - Magellan Barberry. Semi-evergreen that gets its species name from the fact that its leaves resemble boxwood leaves.
South America native. Shiny green foliage, blue-black fruits. Zone 7-9.
B. candidula - Paleleaf barberry. Native to China. Evergreen to zone 7. Unreliable hardiness in colder zones. Green foliage with
purple fruit. Prefers slightly acidic soils.
B. darwinii - Darwin's Barberry. South America native. Vigorous growth, mature size 9-15ft tall. Shiny, dark green leaves, yellow
flowers tinged red, and purple fruits. Evergreen. Regarded as invasive in New Zealand. Zone 7-9.
B. julianae - Wintergreen or Chinese Barberry. Native to China. Up to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Evergreen. Dark green foliage
with bluish black berries. Hardiest of the evergreen barberries. Hardy to zone 6.
B. koreana - Korean Barberry. Native to Japan. Semi evergreen. Up to 6' tall and just as wide. Green foliage, red fruit and great
autumn colour. Zone 3-7.
B. thunbergii - Japanese Barberry. Comes in a large variety of cultivars. With the large number of cultivars, tiny leaves and
forgiving habits, it is one of the most popular Berberis species for bonsai. Deciduous. Hardy zones 4-8. Note: Japanese Barberry is
considered invasive in some areas, and sale may be restricted.
B. thunbergii 'Atropurpurea' - Red purple foliage. 5'x5' mature size. Tall, arching habit.
B. thunbergii 'Aurea' -Bright gold foliage. Slow growing to around 2 feet tall. Best colour in full sun, but sensitive to leaf scorch
due to drying or a build up of salts in the soil.
B. thunbergii 'Bagatelle' - Dwarf form with deep red foliage, very tiny leaves. Well suited to shohin and mame bonsai.
B. thunbergii 'Bonanza Gold' - Newer cultivar. Bright gold foliage. Like Aurea above, but less sensitive to leaf scorch.
B. thunbergii 'Crimson Pygmy' -Dwarf (2'x2' mature) form with deep red foliage and small yellow flowers. Minimal suckering,
and can form thicker trunks well.
B. thunbergii 'Kobold' - Dwarf (2'x2' mature) form. Kelly green foliage maturing to deep green late summer.
B. thunbergii 'Rose Glow' - Variegated pink and red leaves. Mature size 5'x5'. Upright, arching habit. Tends to be more susceptible
to mildew and other diseases.
B. thunbergii 'Thornless' or 'Inermis' - Thornless cultivar.
B. vulargis - European Barberry. Small oval leaves, yellow flowers and red berries. Can be a host of black rust, a disease of wheat,
and may be outlawed in some areas.
Other Information:
versatile and useful garden plant native to temperate and sub-tropical regions around the world. Berberis (in the family
Berberidaceae) is a genus of around five hundred species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, ranging from a foot to fifteen feet
tall (1-5m), though most to out around five to six feet tall. Best known for their thorns (some very small, some several inches long,
ouch), most have small, oval or tear-drop leaves that come in a variety of colours, from green to yellow to red, with deciduous
species often being known for beautiful autumn colour. Flowering in early spring, small white or yellow blossoms hang singly or in
clusters. Tiny berries set later in the summer and autumn, ripening to little oval drooping fruits in reds, oranges, blues, purples or
black.
Barberry are seldom seen in classical bonsai. Part of that is because the barberry is considered unlucky in Japan, and many of the
traditionally used species for bonsai were species that symbolized 'good luck,' like longevity (pines). Though the spines can make
barberry difficult to work with, a heavy pair of gloves or a careful hand is all that is needed to overcome this shortcoming, as the
good traits of this plant far outweigh the negative. Though they are slow to develop a thick trunk in pot culture and it is
sometimes difficult to find a thick trunked nursery specimen, impressive trunked stock can often be found growing in gardens and
old hedges, and with permission to dig, can make fantastic bonsai specimens. With their ability to back bud heavily to old wood,
small leaves, flowers and fruit, and delicate branching habits, these can make handsome bonsai in the smallest to the largest sizes.
Hardiness: Different species of barberry have different hardiness zones. Most fall from zone 4-8. If a piece of stock is being sold in
your area, ask the nursery staff to make certain it is hardy to your zone. If the piece of stock is collected from a yard in your area,
it is safe to assume it is hardy to your zone. Protect even hardy barberry in pots from temperatures below 20F to help prevent
dieback of fine twigs and root damage. Even very hardy barberry are more susceptible to frost damage in bonsai cultivation.
Light: Full sun to partial shade. Red varieties need more light to keep their foliage colour bright. Evergreen varieties tend to be
better in partial shade.
Soil: Barberry aren't particularly picky and will grow in most soil mixes with no problem, but prefer a well draining soil mix. They
prefer a neutral soil pH.
Watering: Moderate watering. As they prefer things a little on the dry side, water deeply when watering, but do not water again
until the soil is on the drier side. Evergreen barberries are prone to leaf drop in the winter due to under watering.
Fertilizer: Barberry are not very greedy plants. Use a weak liquid fertilizer or a time released formula every two to three weeks.
Because they have such shallow, fibrous roots, it is easy to cause damage with heavy fertilizers. They habitually grow wild in poor
soils, and do not need as much in the way of nutrients as some species do. Barberry are sensitive to salts in the soil, which can
cause leaf burn and other problems. If this is a possibility, check the soil pH. Barberry prefer a neutral soil pH, so adjust if the soil
is too acidic or alkaline. Flush out the soil with several heavy waterings and reduce your fertilizing and/or switch to a more gentle
fertilizer.
Pests and Diseases: Largely pest free. Occasional aphids, scale, and sawfly. Powdery mildew.
Repotting: Ever year to two years in the spring before bud break. Barberry can tolerate being repotted a little later, however they
have little tolerance for autumn repotting, and it is not recommended. Barberry have naturally shallow, fibrous root systems, and
are fairly tolerant of root pruning, though try to keep from removing more than half of the root system at a go. Evergreen species
are a little less tolerant of root pruning, and should be limited to removal of about a third of the root mass at a time.
Pruning and Styling: You may want to wear gloves when pruning your barberry. Keeping your movements slow and purposeful
also decreases the severity of any stabs you might get from the thorns.
Barberry can be pruned almost any time of year. Keep in mind that flowers form on one year old shoots, so if you wish to have
fruit on your bonsai, leave these alone.
Pinch back new growth in more developed plants to two leaves, or allow to grow out in plants still in early stages of development.
Barberries back bud well, and tolerate heavy pruning just as well, but if you are in doubt of the plants health, do not attempt
serious heavy pruning. Gradual pruning back, some each year, will ensure more even back budding through the base of the tree. If
you plan on doing a trunk chop (on a healthy and vigorously growing tree, I might add), make sure to angle the cut to the back of
the tree. While you would do this with most trees anyway, large scars from pruning do not heal over (or do so minimally) on
barberry. Keep this in mind, as they will have to be incorporated in to any design plans or hidden in some way. Large pruning
scars may need to be treated with a wood hardener to keep rot from setting in.
Clip and grow tends to work better on barberry than wiring (for shaping). First, barberry have stiff and brittle branches that break
easily. Second, the many thorns can make wiring a painful experience. If you do choose to wire, watch it carefully to keep the wire
from cutting in to the branches. You may need to rewire later in the growing season a second time if you wired in spring. Wiring
in autumn can help prevent this issue.
Barberry are prone to throw out suckers. If you are aiming for a single trunk tree, these can be removed to keep the energy of the
tree focused on the single trunk. Or they can be left and styled as a clump style.
Since barberry do not heal over large scars, dead wood styles and carving can be incorporated in to the design. Wood hardener
will be needed to protect the exposed wood. Lime sulphur will not be enough, and the very white of the sulphur can look
unnatural on a barberry.
Propagation: From seed: Seeds can be sown in early spring outside. Semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings can be taken in
summer. Air layering and ground layering (this works especially well on suckers) in late spring. As barberry sucker from the roots,
they can be also propagated by division.
Styles and Forms: informal forms in single and multi-trunked. Clump.
Species and Cultivars: Almost any species is suitable for bonsai cultivation. But some species and their habits:
B. buxifolia - Magellan Barberry. Semi-evergreen that gets its species name from the fact that its leaves resemble boxwood leaves.
South America native. Shiny green foliage, blue-black fruits. Zone 7-9.
B. candidula - Paleleaf barberry. Native to China. Evergreen to zone 7. Unreliable hardiness in colder zones. Green foliage with
purple fruit. Prefers slightly acidic soils.
B. darwinii - Darwin's Barberry. South America native. Vigorous growth, mature size 9-15ft tall. Shiny, dark green leaves, yellow
flowers tinged red, and purple fruits. Evergreen. Regarded as invasive in New Zealand. Zone 7-9.
B. julianae - Wintergreen or Chinese Barberry. Native to China. Up to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Evergreen. Dark green foliage
with bluish black berries. Hardiest of the evergreen barberries. Hardy to zone 6.
B. koreana - Korean Barberry. Native to Japan. Semi evergreen. Up to 6' tall and just as wide. Green foliage, red fruit and great
autumn colour. Zone 3-7.
B. thunbergii - Japanese Barberry. Comes in a large variety of cultivars. With the large number of cultivars, tiny leaves and
forgiving habits, it is one of the most popular Berberis species for bonsai. Deciduous. Hardy zones 4-8. Note: Japanese Barberry is
considered invasive in some areas, and sale may be restricted.
B. thunbergii 'Atropurpurea' - Red purple foliage. 5'x5' mature size. Tall, arching habit.
B. thunbergii 'Aurea' -Bright gold foliage. Slow growing to around 2 feet tall. Best colour in full sun, but sensitive to leaf scorch
due to drying or a build up of salts in the soil.
B. thunbergii 'Bagatelle' - Dwarf form with deep red foliage, very tiny leaves. Well suited to shohin and mame bonsai.
B. thunbergii 'Bonanza Gold' - Newer cultivar. Bright gold foliage. Like Aurea above, but less sensitive to leaf scorch.
B. thunbergii 'Crimson Pygmy' -Dwarf (2'x2' mature) form with deep red foliage and small yellow flowers. Minimal suckering,
and can form thicker trunks well.
B. thunbergii 'Kobold' - Dwarf (2'x2' mature) form. Kelly green foliage maturing to deep green late summer.
B. thunbergii 'Rose Glow' - Variegated pink and red leaves. Mature size 5'x5'. Upright, arching habit. Tends to be more susceptible
to mildew and other diseases.
B. thunbergii 'Thornless' or 'Inermis' - Thornless cultivar.
B. vulargis - European Barberry. Small oval leaves, yellow flowers and red berries. Can be a host of black rust, a disease of wheat,
and may be outlawed in some areas.
Other Information:
Barberry (Berberis)