How to Care for a Barberry Plant

There are several varieties of barberry plants (Berberis spp.), including creeping barberry, wintergreen barberry, mentor barberry and Japanese barberry. Wintergreen and Japanese barberry have cultivars bred for leaf color or smaller size. All barberry varieties have similar care needs, including light and soil requirements, pruning practices and transplanting preferences.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp sand (as necessary)
• Heavy-duty spade
• Sharp pruners or hedge trimmers
• Thick gloves and long sleeved shirt

Instructions

1. Amend soils that stay boggy with sharp sand, or plant barberries on a slope to prevent waterlogged, diseased roots or stunted growth. Barberries are often planted on banks or slopes to prevent erosion, and benefit from good drainage.

2. Locate barberries in full sun to partial shade for best overall growth and foliage. Full sun exposure brings out the most leaf color in varieties with purple, red or pink leaf coloration.

3. Transplant barberries from an undesirable location (if necessary) after flowering or in late winter. Cut a ring around the plant with a heavy duty spade from three-quarters to the full diameter of the canopy. Dig at least 18 inches down and under the plant, leaving the central root ball as intact as possible. Plant in a hole just as deep and twice as wide as the root ball. Back-fill with native soil and cover it with 2 to 3 inches of mulch. Water thoroughly.

4. Prune in late winter to manage the overall shape and size. Trim the plant back to shape or cut it down to 12 inches tall using sharp pruners or hedge trimmers. Wear protective gloves and long sleeves to protect yourself from barberry's numerous thorns.

5. Perform emergency pruning after flowering, using sharp pruners. Pruning off the flowering ends after the flowers have fallen helps to prevent the set and spread of barberry seeds by birds in areas where the plant escapes into the wild and becomes an invasive weed. This is especially important for areas plagued with Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii).

6. Fertilize in spring, if desired, with an organic or balanced fertilizer that's appropriate to your soil type. Barberries do not require feeding, but adding fertilizer will encourage the plant to produce more vegetation.

7. Water deeply once per week in the absence of at least 1 inch of rain. Barberries are drought-tolerant, and those planted in partial shade require less frequent water than those planted in the same type of soil in full sun.

Tips & Warnings

• Add barberry trimmings to your compost pile to turn them into nutrients for your garden. Grind up thick branches to speed decomposition.

References

• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Barberry
• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research: Creeping Barberry
• Maine Invasive Plants: Japanese Barberry
• "Gaia's Garden"; Toby Hemenway; 2006