How to Prune a Japanese Barberry
The green, gold or burgundy foliage of the Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) makes it a popular shrub for landscaping around homes. After several seasons of growth, the plant can grow leggy or unsightly with long stems or a floppy habit. Prune the shrub with one of two intentions: trimming the plant tips for shaping or severe pruning for rejuvenation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Trimming to Shape
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Ensure it is mid to late summer after the new growth on the shrub has slowed and matured.
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Put on garden gloves, and also consider a long-sleeved shirt. Japanese barberry's stems are lined with many small thorns.
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Trim off the leggy (long, irregular stems) growth with the pruners, making all pruning cuts 1/5 inch above a leaf. Remove stems as needed to create a balanced, rounded and uniformly shaped plant. Keeping some stems a bit longer than others retains an irregular but architecturally pleasant shape to the barberry.
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Discard stem clippings to the compost pile. Make sure the debris is removed from atop the shrub so it doesn't look untidy.
Rejuvenation Pruning
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Wait until early spring, just before the buds swell to unfurl their leaves.
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Prune back all branches of the shrub to 1/3 their original heights, such that a 3-foot shrub is cut back to 1 foot. Make crisp cuts on the stems with the pruners 1/5 inch above a leaf bud or small scar on the lower main branches.
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Remove the branch and twig debris and place on the compost pile. Allow sunlight to reach the pruned barberry plant without cut stems littering the site.
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Permit the shrub to rejuvenate with new stem growth. Once the new growth slows and matures by mid to late summer, optional tip pruning can occur. After a rejuvenation pruning event, tip pruning is best left for the second summer maintenance schedule.
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Tips & Warnings
There are many different varieties, called cultivars, of Japanese barberry that may grow to a size and shape better suited to your landscape needs. Using the right cultivar can reduce the amount of pruning needed since the plant naturally grows in a manner that you find most attractive.
Barberry plants have thorns. Wear gloves and long-sleeved shirts when handling them.
The Japanese barberry is regarded as an invasive plant in many parts of North America. It drops many seeds and sprouts seedlings and root suckers, creating a thicket. Consult your cooperative extension office or garden center professional for alternative shrubs better suited for your region.
