Barberry planting and care in the open field in siberia

Ornamental shrubs are equally popular with landscape designers and ordinary summer residents who want to turn their site into a charming green corner. Barberry will fill it with bright colors, planting and caring for it is very simple and does not require much time. There are many reasons for breeding this plant. From its berries with a pleasant sourness, you can make delicious homemade preparations - jams, compotes. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, therefore they are widely used for medicinal purposes.

The shrub is strikingly beautiful. The color palette of its leaves includes a wide range of shades: orange, lemon, red, crimson, lilac, dark purple. They can be covered with spots of a contrasting color or have an expressive border on the edges. The forms of the bush are also varied. There are common barberry, Canadian, Amur, Turkmen, Korean, Ottawa, multiflorous, ball-bearing, monetaris. The varieties Superba, Aurikoma, Atropurpureya, Asperma, Orange Rocket and many others are popular with gardeners. Among them there are real giants, reaching a height of 3 m, and dwarf species, from which you can make low (up to 30 cm), but dense borders.

Site requirements

Barberry is a surprisingly unpretentious shrub. He is not afraid of strong gusts of wind and drafts. Cultivation of the crop will be equally successful in the high areas it opens and in quiet lowlands protected by walls or trees. You can place the shrub in light shade. This arrangement is optimal for those varieties, the leaves of which are colored yellow. Under the scorching sunlight, they easily get burns, often dry out and fly around. But most varieties of barberry, especially the red-leaved ones, love bright light. Its lack will lead to the fact that the bush will lose its decorative effect.

The common barberry develops best in fertile neutral soils. In acidic soil, growing it will be ineffective. Such a soil must be lime before placing a shrub in it. You can carry out the procedure in advance or pour preparations that reduce the acidity of the soil directly into the prepared pit.

It is recommended to plant barberry in a substrate of the following components:

• humus (it is permissible to replace it with compost);
• garden land;
• superphosphate (100 g);
• wood ash (200 g);
• slaked lime (400 g).

Advice

If the soil in the area is neutral, alkaline or slightly acidic, then you should not add lime and ash to the nutrient mixture.

Shrub roots are sensitive to moisture stagnation. It is categorically unsuitable for swampy places with a tendency to flooding, as well as areas where water stagnates for a long time after the snow melts.If the groundwater is high, the cultivation of barberry, be it ordinary, Canadian or Ottawa, is likely to end in the death of the bushes. There is only one option here - to arrange high bulk ridges for the plant.

Landing time and scheme

The optimal time for placing barberry in open ground depends on the condition of the seedling. If it was purchased in a pot or other container, this can be done in the summer.

It is important to consider only 2 points:

• choose a non-hot day for the procedure;
• cover the young bush from the scorching sun rays in the first week after planting.

It is better to place seedlings dug out of the ground on the site in early spring, while the buds of the plant are still sleeping. If you carry out the procedure later, the shrub will take root worse and will hurt. It is allowed to plant young barberries in the fall - in September, first tearing off the foliage from them. Cultivation of culture is possible in the harsh climate of Siberia. Not all varieties are able to withstand it, but only the most frost-resistant ones - ordinary barberry, oblong, Amur. They are placed in open ground there in June.

Pits for planting are prepared in advance - 2-3 weeks before the procedure, so that the soil has time to settle. The shrub grows quickly, so the holes need to be made away from each other - at a distance of at least 1.5-2 m. Their optimal depth and width is 40 cm. This rule is violated if they plan to create a hedge out of barberry. Then it is better to plant it in a trench of the same depth, placing neighboring plants at intervals of 0.5 m. If the hedge is in several rows, then the bushes are staggered.

The bottom of the pit is covered with a layer of sand, then it is filled with a nutrient substrate and abundantly moistened. Placing a barberry bush in the hole, carefully spread its roots, cover them with soil, and compact. The seedling is well watered. Professionals advise to cover the soil near its trunk with compost or peat. They will help retain moisture in the soil and provide the young plant with nutrients. In order for the planted barberry to take root faster, it is cut off, leaving from 3 to 5 developed buds on it.

Sowing seeds and cuttings

Shrub propagation can be done in different ways:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• layering;
• dividing the mother bush.

The seeds are obtained from ripe barberry berries. Having separated the seeds, they are put in a solution of potassium permanganate for a couple of minutes, dried and sown immediately on the garden bed. It is more convenient to carry out the procedure in the fall. The optimum depth of planting seeds is 1 cm. In the spring they will sprout. When the sprouts release 2 full leaves, the seedlings are thinned out. Leave at least 3 cm of free space between the plants. They can be transplanted to a permanent site in 2 years.

Advice

Spring sowing of barberry seeds is also possible, but in this case they will have to be stratified. They are mixed with sand and placed in a refrigerator, where they are stored for 2-5 months, keeping the temperature in the range of 2-5 ° C.

Generative reproduction of a shrub is a laborious and lengthy process. In addition, it does not guarantee the preservation of varietal qualities. Having planted an Ottawa barberry with seeds, you cannot be completely sure that it is he who will grow.

More often the culture is bred by cuttings. To get them, you only need a barberry bush and a sharp knife. Their cutting is carried out in the second half of June, preferably in the early morning. Having previously cut off the lower leaves, the cuttings are kept for 1-2 hours in a solution of a drug that stimulates root growth. After its remnants are washed off with water and the chopped barberry is placed in a nutritious substrate of the following components:

• humus;
• fertile land;
• peat;
• sand.

For the cuttings to take root, the soil must be moist and the air warm. Therefore, for 2 weeks it is necessary to create greenhouse conditions for them, from time to time removing the shelter for ventilation. When the seedlings get stronger, they are moved to the beds, where they will continue to develop.After 2 years, the cultivation of barberry from cuttings can be considered complete: a young bush is planted in a specific place for it.

Getting layering and dividing the bush

The fastest and easiest way is to propagate the culture by layering. To get them, in the spring, a shallow (about 20 cm) groove is made in the soil under the bush. One of the strongest lower annual shoots is tilted and placed in it. Having securely fastened the branch, the groove is covered to the top with soil. If done correctly, only the top of the shoot will be visible. Over the summer, it will take root, and a new bush can be planted in a permanent place.

Spring reproduction of barberry by dividing the mother plant is also popular. Most often it is used for low crop varieties. A 3-5-year-old bush is suitable for dividing, the root collar of which is deepened into the soil by at least 10 cm. It is removed from the soil and cut into pieces of approximately the same size.

The roots of the barberry are quite firm. One pruner is not enough to separate them. In this case, a garden saw will come to the rescue. The procedure must be performed very carefully, the bush is severely injured with it, and unnecessary damage will only worsen its survival rate. Places of cuts are sprinkled with crushed coal and the resulting cuttings are immediately planted. Such reproduction cannot be performed if the bush has already formed shoots branching above the soil level.

Features of agricultural technology

Korean or Ottawa, Superba or Atropurpurea, Harlequin or Oxyfilla - all types and varieties of barberry need the same care. It includes only 5 procedures:

1. watering;
2. top dressing;
3. loosening;
4. weed removal;
5. pruning.

Watering the shrub outdoors only on dry days. Cold well water is not suitable for humidification. It is better to use liquid from containers standing in the sun, heated by its rays. One watering per week is enough for barberry bushes. It is impossible for moisture to get on the leaves, the stream of water is directed strictly to the root. These rules apply to both adult barberries and newly planted ones.

The plant loves weed-free soil, so the area around it is regularly weeded and loosened. It is recommended to remove root growth together with excess grass. In order not to waste time on these procedures, it is enough to mulch the ground under the bush with sawdust, peat or compost.

Barberry responds well to feeding. They begin to be introduced from the second year of the plant's life in a permanent place. In the spring, the bush especially needs nitrogen. It can be fertilized with urea by dissolving in 1 bucket of water 20-30 g of the drug for each plant. The procedure is repeated at intervals of 3-4 years. Phosphorus and potassium help to improve fruiting in varieties with edible berries. They are applied twice per season: in summer, at the stage of ovary formation, and in autumn, when the harvest has already been harvested.

Pruning and preparing for winter

In order for the shrub to retain its decorative effect, it must be monitored, removing weakened, dry, damaged, diseased and interfering shoots. Many of its varieties can be shaped into any shape using garden shears. For the first time, decorative barberry is cut at the age of 1 year. They do it in the spring. The shoots are shortened strongly - by ½ or even ⅔ of the length. They grow very quickly, so there is no need to fear that the procedure will harm the barberry. When the bush reaches 2 years of age, annual sanitary pruning is carried out twice a season - at the beginning and at the end of summer. For dwarf varieties of culture, it is optional.

In late autumn, the soil near the barberry trunks should be mulched with organic material - compost, dry foliage, sawdust. Most varieties of the plant have good frost resistance, and the spectacular Superba is also distinguished by it. While the shrub is still young (up to 5 years old), for the winter it is covered with spruce branches or burlap. Its evergreen varieties cannot do without protection from the cold. In the Siberian climate, adult plants also need it.For them, a kind of hut is made of brushwood or spruce branches, which is covered with snow from above.

Barberry is an interesting culture for which there is a place on any site. Even in single plantings, the shrub will stand out, attracting attention with the unusual color of the leaves. In some varieties, it even changes from season to season. Barberry hedges are both spectacular and practical.

With a high decorative effect, care for a shrub in the open field requires minimal, you don't have to invest a lot of effort in it. Barberry firmly endures adverse weather conditions: it is not afraid of hurricane winds, does not dry out in hot summer, does not freeze in severe winter. It is undemanding to the quality of the soil, it can grow even on soils with a scarce supply of nutrients. The culture has many advantages, and the impressive variety of barberry varieties opens up a wide field for experimentation. Combining contrasting or similar in color, shape of leaves and crown, plant height, you can create unusual compositions, the beauty of which is worthy of the artist's brush.

Barberry is a very picturesque plant. There are forms with green, purple and variegated leaves, which fit perfectly into joint plantings with deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs. In landscape design, this property of barberry is widely used. Its berries are edible and healthy. Young leaves can be added to salads. In folk medicine, barberry has long been known and widely used.

Barberry - let's get to know each other

The barberry family unites several hundred species of trees and shrubs. Deciduous and evergreen forms are known. In the wild, this plant is found on almost all continents.

Barberry is found on almost all continents

Prefers a warm climate, but can tolerate moderate frosts. In extreme cold it requires shelter. The plant is prickly, the fruits are small, edible. In culture, common barberry or Thunberg barberry, less often Amur, Canadian (Ottawa) and Korean, are grown.

The large decorativeness of the plant is popular in landscape design and is widely used. This is facilitated by a huge selection - from dwarf forms (30 cm) to giants (3 m), with a spherical, columnar and spreading crown. Barberry gets along well with various plants and does not seek to seize territory, since it does not have root growth. Drought tolerant, shade tolerant, unpretentious.

There is a small drawback - thorns. But it can be made a virtue: a barberry hedge will become an insurmountable obstacle for uninvited guests and a beautiful framing of your site.

The maximum decorative effect of the plant is at the age of 7–8 years. It can live for 50 years, with good care it bears fruit up to 35–40 years. Blooms in May, about 3 weeks. Good honey plant.

Barberry looks spectacular in joint plantings

Planting and leaving

Barberry grows in full sun and partial shade. If you decide to plant a plant with variegated or bright foliage, then this should be a well-lit place. In the shade, decorativeness is lost, the leaves become paler or turn green. Planting is carried out in early spring, before bud break. If the plant has a closed root system, then you can plant it in the fall, in September or in the first half of October (at least a month before the onset of frost). Barberry can grow on almost any soil, even on sandy and stony soils, but not on acidic ones. Stagnation of moisture oppresses him.

The planting pit is prepared 2 weeks before planting. Its size is 40x40x40 cm.

Pit preparation:

1. A layer of sand is poured at the bottom.
2. If the soil is clay, then the pit is deepened by another 10-15 cm and drainage is arranged from small stones and pebbles.

   If the soil is clay, then drainage from stones and pebbles is laid on the bottom of the pit

3. Fill with a mixture of turf and humus in equal amounts.
4. Superphosphate is added (100 g per bush), everything is mixed well.

   Superphosphate is added to the barberry planting pit

When planting several bushes nearby, you need to take into account their adult size and leave the required distance. If you decide to arrange a hedge, then you need to dig a trench of the required length. Plants are planted at a distance of 0.5 m from each other. For a two-row hedge, the bushes are planted in a checkerboard pattern.

A few years after planting, the barberry hedge will be impassable

When planting, the roots are gently straightened, covered with earth so that the root collar is at the level of the soil. Shoots are cut, leaving 3-5 buds, the plant is watered and mulched.

Watering and feeding

Barberry tolerates a lack of moisture better than an excess of it. In rainy weather, an adult plant has enough rainfall. In the heat, you need a bucket of water per bush once every 2 weeks. Freshly planted barberry is watered 1-2 times a week until it takes root. Then - as needed.

For the first 2-3 years, the fertilizers that were applied during planting are enough for the plants. Further, for ornamental shrubs, urea is introduced in the spring (dissolve 30 g in 10 liters of water) once every 3 years. If the plant is berry, then, in addition to urea, every year after flowering it is fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (according to the instructions).

Preparing for the cold

In winter, young plants (the first 3-5 years) require shelter, regardless of the frost resistance of the variety. If winters in your region are mild, then the barberry will tolerate this period well. In severe frosts, especially in Siberia or the Urals, adult plants are also covered. To do this, a kind of hut is made from branches and spruce branches and additionally covered with snow.

The first 3-5 years, barberry needs shelter for the winter

Pruning

Sanitary pruning is required annually in the spring and fall. Broken, dry and diseased branches are removed. If the barberry is planted for decorative purposes, then it begins to form from the second year after planting. All types of plants tolerate shearing well, and to maintain a given shape, the bush is pruned at the beginning and at the end of summer every year.

The correct formation of the bush requires annual pruning.

Dwarf species of barberry, as a rule, have a dense, compact crown and can do without formative pruning. They look great in curb landings and on alpine slides.

Dwarf barberry forms do not need formative pruning

Reproduction

Barberry reproduces well with seeds, cuttings and cuttings. Dividing the bush gives good results.

Breeding methods for barberry:

• Seeds. To obtain seeds, ripe berries are ground, washed and dried. Sow in the fall, immediately into the ground to a depth of 1 cm. The place is chosen so that the seedlings can grow there for 2 years. Then they are transplanted to a permanent place. In the spring, after sprouting, they are thinned out, leaving a distance of about 3 cm. Care consists in regular watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds. For the winter, it is imperative to cover the garden.
  

  When propagated by seeds of some varieties, seedlings may not retain their parental characteristics.

  

  To obtain seeds, ripe berries are ground, washed and dried.

• Cuttings are rooted in a special greenhouse in the summer, where they will grow for 2 years. In June, the shoots of the current year are cut off with a length of about 15 cm. In the lower part, all leaves are removed, treated with a root formation stimulator. The upper leaves are cut in half. Planted in a mixture of humus, peat and sod land with sand. The cuttings are buried 2/3 of the length, watered and covered. Ventilation and humidification are periodically necessary.

  Cuttings are part of the current year's shoots, approximately 15 cm long

• To root the cuttings in the spring, they bend down, fix and sprinkle with earth branches located close to the ground. The next year, in early spring, the shoot is separated with a pruner and transplanted to another place for growing for another year. Then transferred to a permanent place.

  To root the cuttings in the spring, they bend down, fix and sprinkle with earth branches located close to the ground

• For dividing a bush, you can use a plant no older than 5 years. In this way, only undersized varieties are propagated. Before bud break, the plant is dug up and divided with a pruner or knife. The cut is treated with crushed charcoal and planted.

  When dividing a bush on each part there should be 2-3 shoots

Diseases and pests

Barberry has few pests. Aphids appear on young shoots and leaves. You can notice it quickly. The leaves begin to curl. To destroy the pest, you can use the preparations Inta-Vir, Actellik. If there are not many aphids, a soap solution (3 tablespoons of dish detergent for 1 liter of water) is useful. In addition, the plant can be affected by the flower moth (spoils the berries) and the sawfly. To destroy them, drugs are used:

• Aktara,
• Karate,
• Karbofos.

All funds are prepared strictly according to the instructions.

The caterpillar of the flower moth is one of the pests of the barberry

Barberry is rarely affected by fungal diseases.

Table: how to deal with barberry diseases

For the prevention of diseases, the plants and the soil under it are treated three times with Bordeaux liquid. The processing interval is once every 3 weeks.

Types and varieties of barberry

Of all the species, the most decorative Thunberg barberry. Dwarf plants from 30 cm with red, yellow, green and variegated foliage - all this. Its fruits are unsuitable for food, very bitter.

Views:

• Green Carpet. Low shrub up to 1 m high with a spreading crown. Dense foliage, light green in summer, turns bright orange, yellow and red in autumn. Flowers are pale, greenish. Photophilous, but puts up with a light shadow. Drought-resistant, frost-resistant, resistant to diseases and pests. Young plants up to 2–3 years old need shelter in winter, in Siberia, the Urals and northeastern Russia they do it up to 5 years.

  In autumn, the barberry bush Green Carpet looks like a variegated bedspread

• Admireshin. Shrub with a lush crown and beautiful red leaves with a bright yellow edging. The flowers are pale pink, bloom at the end of May. The berries are dark red. The plant is very decorative, it tolerates formation well. Unpretentious in care, frost-resistant, easily tolerates a lack of moisture. The variety is resistant to diseases and pests.

  Barberry Admireshin has beautiful leaves with golden edging

• Erecta. Dwarf variety (up to 0.5 m). The crown is pyramidal. The leaves are green. Frost and drought resistant. Unpretentious. Rarely affected by disease.

  The Erecta variety is rarely affected by diseases.

• Golden ring. Medium-sized bush. The leaves have a golden edging. Undemanding to care for.
• Carmen. The leaves are blood red. The plant reaches a height of a bush of 1 m in 10 years. In the shade, the leaves lose their brightness. Resistant to frost and gas pollution.

  Carmen barberry foliage attracts attention

• Golden Rocket. Height up to 1.5 m. Grows slowly. The maximum height reaches 10 years. Leaves are yellow-green in color.
• Natasha. A compact globular shrub. Leaves are green with white-pink spots. Frost resistance up to -35оС. In the shade, it loses its brightness. The fruits are decorative, but not used for food.

  The color of the leaves of Natasha barberry is unusual and attractive

• Orange Rocket. Columnar shrub up to 1 m high. Crown diameter 0.5 m. Grows slowly. Frost and drought resistant. Leaves are small, yellow-orange, turn bright red in autumn. In the shade, the foliage loses its brightness.
• Pink shine. Tall, up to 2 m, spreading shrub. The leaves are purple with white and pink spots. Frost resistance up to -35оС.

  Rose Shine lives up to its name

• Helmut Pillar. Columnar (up to 1.5 m) shrub. The leaves are small, dark red, turn green in the shade. Frost resistant. Drought tolerant. It tolerates a haircut well. Unpretentious.
• Harlequin. Shrub 1.5–2 m high and about 2 m wide crown. Purple leaves with white spots become amber-golden in autumn. It tolerates a haircut well. Used for joint plantings as a bright accent.Frost resistant. Shelter for the winter is necessary only for young plants, when grown in a harsh climate. Drought-resistant. Rarely affected by disease.

  The variegated leaves of the Harlequin barberry are very beautiful

• Auria. Shrub about 80 cm high. Leaves turn yellow-orange in autumn. Blooms in May, covered with yellow fragrant racemes. The fruits are red, ripen in autumn and remain on the branches for a long time. Drought-resistant. Rarely affected by disease. Frost resistant. When grown in the shade, the leaves lose their brightness and turn green.

  The yellow foliage of the barberry Auria is combined with the greenery of conifers

• Kobold. The dwarf shrub is only 40 cm tall and has a dense spherical crown about 50 cm in diameter. Leaves, yellow-green in summer, colored yellow-crimson in autumn, can grow in light shade. In May, beautiful yellow-red flowers open for several weeks. Frost and drought resistant. Rarely affected by disease.

  The size of the Kobold barberry is suitable for an alpine slide

• Bagatelle. Another dwarf variety. An adult plant with a height of only 30 cm has a dense crown with a diameter of about 60 cm. The foliage is red-brownish in summer and dark red in autumn. Bagatelle goes well with other plants in park compositions. It grows slowly. Frost and drought resistant. Rarely sick.

  Bagatelle goes well with other plants in park compositions

Tibetan barberry used to be known in Russia as Dereza vulgaris. The healing properties of its berries have been known for a long time and have been widely used in folk medicine. One of the most famous species is Goji Shambhala. It is a sprawling bush up to 3 m high. It blooms from June to October, while berries ripen at the same time. It is unpretentious in leaving. It grows on any soil, except waterlogged ones. Prefers sunny places, but will grow and bear fruit in the shade. Frost and drought resistant. Very prickly. It tolerates a haircut well.

Goji Shambhala fruits look like small peppers

Red-leaved varieties of Canadian (or Ottawa) barberry are not widespread in Russia. The leaves are dark purple to gray-red, which goes well with greenery in parks and squares. He tolerates a haircut well. The height of adult plants is from 1.5 to 3 m. It grows rapidly. It tolerates frosts down to -35 ° C. When grown in the southern regions and central Russia, no shelter is required. In Siberia and the Urals, it grows well when warmed in winter.

A popular variety of Canadian barberry is Superba. Tall, fast-growing shrub up to 2.5 m. Leaves are almost purple in summer, turn crimson in autumn. Unpretentious. In May, yellow-red flowers appear, collected in brushes. The fruits are bright red, ripen in October. Annual shoots grow up to 35 cm per season. It is drought and frost resistant. Few are affected by diseases.

Barberry Superba has purple leaves

In addition to him, such varieties of Canadian (Ottawa) barberry have excellent decorative qualities, such as:

• Auricoma,
• Atropurpuria,
• Silver Miles.

Amur barberry grows in the wild in the Far East, China and Japan. This is a tall, up to 3 m, shrub with a low-branched spreading crown. Edible berries. In summer it is bright green, in autumn the barberry turns golden red. The flowers are light yellow and very fragrant. Rust resistant. In Siberia, it can grow without shelter. Put up with a lack of moisture. Undemanding to care for.

The flowering plant of the Amur barberry is fragrant and beautiful

Evergreen (or ordinary) barberry is a rather large shrub up to 2 m high, and about the same in diameter. It is a slow growing species. The leaves are narrow and long (up to 10 cm), bright green above and bluish green below. Frost resistant. Disease resistant. The leaves stay on the branches all winter and fall off when they begin to grow back in the spring. It tolerates a haircut well. Resistant to gas pollution of the urban atmosphere.

The common barberry has plants with unusual fruit color.They are white in Alba, and pale yellow in Lutea.

Black barberry actually has green leaves, which turn bright red in autumn, and after frost - bronze color. And they call it that because of the dark blue, almost black, berries. This is a warty barberry. His homeland is Western China. It grows slowly. The height of an adult plant is 1–1.5 m. It can withstand frosts down to -30 ° C. Drought-resistant. Tolerates haircuts well.

The warty barberry has dark blue berries with a waxy coating

Barberry as a houseplant

Dwarf varieties of Thunberg barberry are suitable for growing at home:

• Bagatelle,
• Erecta,
• Kobold,
• Natasha.

Since the species tolerates pruning well, the crown shape and plant height can be easily adjusted. Barberry in the apartment will give you no more trouble than any houseplant. Growing miniature trees as an art originated in Japan many centuries ago. This is a well-known bonsai. For this, coniferous and deciduous plants are used, which in nature may not be small. Barberry is ideal for making bonsai. He tolerates pruning well and is very flexible in creating such compositions.

Barberry makes stunning miniatures

Features of home barberry care:

• Planting is done in a mixture of coarse sand, turf and compost (2: 2: 1). At the bottom of the pot, it is imperative to pour a layer of stones or expanded clay. When planting, the roots are slightly pruned and the shoots are shortened by 2/3.
• Water as needed. In the spring and summer, frequent irrigation has a beneficial effect on the plant, especially on hot days. In autumn and winter, the frequency of watering is reduced. Since the air in the apartment is very dry during the heating season, periodic spraying from a spray bottle is useful for the plant, but not during flowering.
• For feeding, use any organic fertilizers in the form of powder or granules (according to the instructions) once a month from May to September.
• When pruning, the cut site quickly becomes indistinguishable in color from the bark and does not require additional processing.
• Barberry can grow on a sunny window and in a shaded room, but so that variegated varieties do not lose brightness, the plant needs good lighting and additional lighting in winter.
• In summer, the plant will feel good on an open balcony.
• Diseases and pests in indoor barberry are the same as in nature, and the same drugs are used to combat them.

Dwarf barberry varieties can be grown in a container (for placement on terraces). Planting and caring for such a plant is no different from those growing in a garden or in an apartment.

Features of growing in the regions

Barberry can grow in a variety of climates. In the southern regions, it easily tolerates drought. Mild winters do not require high frost resistance. The plant tolerates the gas content of the city air, which allows it to be widely used for landscaping parks. The warm climate makes it possible to choose practically any type and variety of barberry for planting.

In central Russia, for cultivation, it is better to opt for plants with a frost resistance of at least -20 ° C. This requirement is met by:

• most varieties of Thunberg barberry,
• Canadian,
• Amur,
• warty.

For the Moscow region, barberry with frost resistance up to -20–25 ° C is suitable. You can choose varieties:

• Canadian (Ottawa) - Superba,
• ordinary - Alba variegata,
• barberry Thunberg:
  • Harlequin,
  • Green Carpet,
  • Carmen and others.

Since in the suburbs of Moscow soils are often with a high occurrence of groundwater, when planting, a good drainage must be installed (or seedlings should be placed on a hill or hillside). Young plants for the first 3-5 years must be covered for the winter. For the Golden Rocket variety, it is recommended to tie the crown or wrap it with a net for the winter, since it can fall apart during heavy snowfalls.During a wet, cool summer, fungal diseases are possible, so prevention is the best way to prevent them.

In Siberia, varieties with high frost resistance are most suitable for growing:

• barberry canadian,
• Amur,
• ordinary,
• warty.

They are adapted to harsh conditions and tolerate frost well when there is a lot of snow. For these plants, shelter is needed in the first 3-5 years. Thunberg barberry can also be grown in this region, but with the obligatory shelter for the winter not only of young, but also of adult plants. In this case, dwarf varieties are suitable for the Siberian climate. Alternatively, it is possible to grow plants in a container, with overwintering in a greenhouse or a room where the temperature will not be very low.

Reviews

A wonderful bush. The varieties with red foliage are especially beautiful. There are undersized ones. There are variegated forms. We are now combining in plantings with conifers. Good in hedges.

They sit everywhere with me. And in the sun there is, and in partial shade. They tolerate both normally. They love to get their hair cut! And if you do not periodically trim them a little, then their shape will not be beautiful, and the branches are long and alone, and so - there will be a bush! But pick up and collect the pruned branches at once. Even a tiny piece.

Barberry is an amazingly decorative and completely unpretentious plant. It looks great in single and group plantings with trees, shrubs or flowers. A rich palette of colors gives a wide scope for your imagination when decorating a site. Berries are an excellent vitamin supplement. And do not forget that it is also a medicinal plant. Having planted a barberry bush on your site, you will not regret it.

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Barberry bushes look very decorative not only in summer. The cultural forms of this shrub are very diverse and unpretentious. Its plantings are often used as a hedge, given that the barberry easily tolerates cutting and pruning.... A particularly valuable quality of this shrub is its unpretentiousness to growing and care conditions.

Barberry is a beautiful plant that can decorate any garden or play the role of a reliable hedge. In nature, there are about 500 species of this plant. Varieties of barberry differ in bush height, color of leaves and fruits (yellow, purple, red), size, color and number of flowers.

In contrast to Thunberg and monolithic - ornamental varieties, common barberry is grown mainly for its berries. Various preparations for the winter, liqueurs, marshmallows are prepared from them.... Berries are added to pilaf, marinades, fried vegetables in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The benefits of the berries of this shrub are obvious - a high content of vitamins (E, C, A and various group B), organic acids (citric, malic and tartaric) and a complex of mineral compounds.

You cannot eat unripe barberry berries - they are poisonous!

Is it possible to grow barberry from seed?

A beautiful bush can be grown from a small bone at home. However, you should prepare in advance for difficulties.:

• germination percentage very short (from 20% to 40%),
• long process (requires seed stratification),
• the seedling will be ready to transfer to a permanent place only in 2-3 years,
• to get berries vaccination required.

Barberry bone

Barberry can also multiply by self-seeding from berries fallen in autumn.

A lone barberry bush, with the most careful care, will not please you with a harvest. This shrub belongs to plants that need cross-pollination of flowers. For the successful formation of ovaries, it is necessary to have several bushes on the site. Take care of this right away.

How to grow barberry from seed at home?

Let's take a closer look at how to do it correctly.

It is necessary to choose the ripe berries, separate them from the pulp, rinse in running water. Then these seeds need to be disinfected, soak for 20 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, rinse and dry.

The seeds can be immediately planted in loose soil, cleared of weeds, in furrows no more than 3 centimeters deep. During the winter, under the snow, the seeds will harden and germinate in the spring.

Barberry sprouts

You can do differently if you did not succeed in planting seeds in the fall:

1. Disinfected seeds mix with wet (attention - not wet) sand and keep them at a temperature of + 3 ° C until spring, on the vegetable shelf of the refrigerator.
2. In April their plant in the garden.
3. When two real leaves appear - seedlings thin out... Weak seedlings are removed - leaving the strongest.

The distance between shoots is at least 3 centimeters.

4. Before landing in a permanent place seedlings are better to grow another year in this "school" (a bed for very young plants, for which you carry out careful care and control).
5. Fruits on seedlings will appear only after two years, but it still has to be grafted.
6. Transplanting barberry into open ground.

Barberry is widespread in central and southern Russia, in the North Caucasus and the Black Sea coast, in Western and Eastern Siberia, the Moscow region and the Urals, where they feel pretty well on stony soil and without any care. The cultivated forms of the shrub are also very unassuming:

1. For a young plant prepare a landing pit no more than 50x50 centimeters in size (this is even with a margin).
2. Half pit fill with compost or humus. (approximately, a bucket).
3. Desirable add lime for additional soil deoxidation (up to 0.5 kg).
4. Add approximately half a bucket of regular sand - this will increase the supply of oxygen to the roots.
5. Everything mix thoroughlyso as not to burn the roots.
6. Placing a seedling in a planting hole, sprinkle the roots with soil and water well.
7. Mulch with peat, compost or rotten sawdust.
8. Last thing, cut off the top of the plant, leaving 3-4 well-developed buds - this way the plant tolerates transplanting more easily and will grow faster as a bush.

The frequency of planting barberry bushes depends on the variety

Like most garden plants, barberry can be replanted twice.:

• in the fall - until the end of October,
• in the spring - until the end of April.

Care after landing

All varieties of barberry are grown in the same way - whether you have a decorative Thunberg barberry or an ordinary barberry.

Recommendations are suitable for any varietal variety of this shrub:

• timely watering,
• feeding
• weed removal,
• pruning in spring before bud break and late autumn.

Conveniently, the barberry is fed only once every few years according to a standard schedule.:

• nitrogen - only in spring,
• potassium-phosphorus - in the fall.

How to prune barberries in the fall

No trimming the barberry bush easily reaches a height of 3 meters... This light-loving thorny shrub can not only serve as a hedge, but also yield very useful berries every year.

Barberry Thunberg

But this is only possible:

• if the bush grows well illuminated place,
• has not too thickened crown,
• pollinators grow nearby - a few more barberry bushes.

And pruning bushes is one of the main conditions for fruiting.

Sanitary pruning

The bush forms impenetrable thickets very quickly. By pruning, not only the beautiful shape of the plant is formed. By cutting out broken, dry, old branches, you rejuvenate the bush.

Fortunately, this type of garden shrub is practically not susceptible to fungal diseases... Thickened barberry bushes can be an intermediate link - fungi will find shelter in its thickets, and under favorable conditions they will spread to neighbors.

Therefore, all branches that are too thin and strongly thickening the bush are also subject to removal... This improves ventilation of the bush space. This pruning should be done twice a year.

Formative pruning

The formation of a barberry bush is not difficult. Just it is necessary to remove all branches growing inside the bush - they will certainly create an excessive thickening of the crown. Such a dense bush will definitely not bear fruit.

If your barberry is part of a hedge, then the number of branches will be in the tens. In this case, remove only dry and damaged branches... In fact, only sanitary pruning is carried out.

Pruning barberry in a hedge

Ornamental shrubs can be trimmed with garden shears or special trimmers, giving barberry plantings a wide variety of shapes.

Rejuvenation of the bushes

The main thing to remember when rejuvenating barberry bushes is flowers and fruits this plant forms mainly on annual growths... It follows from this that with a strong shortening of the branches, one should not count on the harvest (this technique is suitable only for decorative forms of barberry).

For the rejuvenation of fruit forms:

• or cut out the old branch to the base and in its place form a young,
• either by cropping translate growth to offshoot.

Although barberry is not afraid of haircuts and pruning, do not get carried away by severe shortening of branches - you will be left without flowers and berries.

Preparing for winter in Siberia, Moscow region and the Urals

With the arrival of autumn, it is time to transplant young seedlings of bushes from the "school" to a permanent place, or to sow seeds in the "school" for growing new plants.

It is necessary to put things in order in the near-trunk circles:

1. remove various debris and dig up the soil under the bushes,
2. feed the plants humus or compost,
3. carry out a sanitary pruning,
4. trim for rejuvenation if necessary.

Before the onset of cold weather, trunk circles must mulch with loose peat, compost or dried leaves.

Only very young bushes (up to 5 years of age) are very sensitive to winter cold - their need to be covered at the onset of the first frost... The easiest way is to cover with spruce branches, this is especially true for evergreen varieties of barberry.

At the first frost, young barberry bushes are covered with spruce branches

Large bushes in front of the shelter must be tied with a rope or twine... A lattice box is installed around, where dry leaves are poured to the top, and wrapped on top with non-woven material (for example, agrofiber),

This applies to winterizing any horticultural crops. You should not rush to cover the plants - it is better to be a little late than too early. Particularly dangerous for the wintering of thermophilic crops is a hermetically sealed space (cover with a film). During a thaw, condensation forms under the film, which, with the onset of frost, will definitely destroy the bush.

Reproduction of barberry and planting in open ground

In addition to the seed method of propagation of barberry, seedlings of this bush can be obtained much faster using vegetative methods. The main advantages of such reproduction:

• you get the finished seedling in one season,
• the varietal properties of the plant are preserved completely - no vaccination needed.

How to propagate barberry in the country?

Cuttings

The method of grafting allows you to get a very large number of seedlings per year and without grafting. However, without the use of heteroauxin or other stimulants of root growth, barberry cuttings are very slow.

Propagation of barberry by cuttings

1. Early summer (June) annual side branches are cut into cuttings about 15 centimeters.
2. The leaves of the bottom are removed and treated according to the instructions with a root growth stimulant.
3. Cuttings prepared in this way planted in a mixture of humus, fertile soil, peat and sand (1: 1: 1: 0.5).
4. Install film shelter.
5. Several times a day need to ventilate and spray the cuttings.
6. Land on demand loosen and watered.
7. Take care of the shelter of the "school" for the winter.

For the next spring, seedlings can be planted in a permanent place.

Layers

In spring, choose strong annual branches as layering from the lower part of the bush.

1. Bend them to the ground and put in grooves 15-20 centimeters depth.
2. Fix the position of the branch with a wire bow or a flyer branch.
3. Fall asleep with earth so that one tip of the shoot remains on the surface.

Propagation of barberry by layering

In addition to watering, no special care is required for layering. By the fall, he will be ready for transplant.

Dividing the bush

If there is a barberry bush that suits you in all respects, it can be divided into several. The best time for this is in the spring before bud break..

1. Carefully dig the mother bush.
2. Cut into pieces... Powerful roots are cut with a hacksaw.
3. Delenki parts are seated in a preliminary cooked holes.
4. Cut the bushto balance the ground part with the roots and improve the survival rate of the damaged plant.

Further care for the cut bush is no different.

Conclusion

Growing barberry in the garden is not at all difficult. Caring for this shrub is not difficult even for an amateur gardener. The plant is so unpretentious that it practically does not require fertilizing, any soil will suit it without stagnant water... The densely planted shrubs create a hedge that adds a classic English park touch to your garden design.

Barberry Thunberg from the position of planting a shrub in its own garden is a very unpretentious and grateful plant to care for: barberry is not afraid of summer heat and drought, it tolerates winter well, grows on poor soils. It can serve as a decorative live thorny hedge from uninvited guests. Homemade preparations are made from berries: jam, marshmallow, compote, marinade, liqueurs.

Varieties and varieties of Thunberg barberry

Of the entire family of barberries, the Thunberg species stands out for many advantages. Firstly, its high decorative effect, and secondly, this species is resistant to powdery mildew and rust. Gas and smoke resistant, tolerates shaping haircut well. No other barberry has such a variety of varieties. All of them differ in the shape and size of the crown, the color of the leaf plate and the growth rate, as can be seen in the photo.

• Atropurpurea Nana is the most popular purple-leaved dwarf cultivar.

Variety Atropurpurea Nana

• Red Pilar - has a columnar crown shape. Its reddish-purple foliage turns scarlet by the end of the growing season.

Red Pilar variety

• Golden Ring - the leaf plate of this variety has a coral color with a golden border around the edges. Reaches 3 m in height.

Golden Ring variety

• Aurea - reaches 1.5 m, leaves are golden or yellow.

Aurea variety

• Kobold is a dwarf variety with green leaves. The crown has the shape of a ball. Can replace boxwood. Requires shelter for the winter.

Kobold variety

• Green Carpet - the height of the bush reaches 50 cm. The foliage is green in summer and red in autumn.

Green Carpet variety

• Kornik - this variety of 1.5 m in height goes well with roses and conifers. The leaves are green in summer with white spots, and in autumn the green color turns red.

Kornik variety

High varieties, thanks to the thorns, form impassable hedges in the form of ribbons of different lengths. Looks great as a curb, can replace boxwood in cold regions. Suitable for creating a rocky garden and strengthening slopes. Low varieties go well with conifers and perennial flowers.

Landing

Barberry is undemanding to the place of growth. It can grow well in open areas and in partial shade. However, varieties with purple leaves in the shade may lose their decorative effect.

Barberry prefers to grow on soils with neutral acidity; wood ash or lime must be added to the soil with high acidity.The most important thing for barberry is the absence of moisture stagnation.

Barberry is planted in early spring, before bud break. If the bushes will be planted singly, then the distance between them should be from 1.5 to 2 meters. A planting hole for one plant is about 50 x 50 cm and a depth of 35 cm. When laying a hedge, two seedlings are planted per meter. It is better to dig a trench for planting a hedge. To improve the respiration of the root ball, the bottom is sprinkled with sand and the hole is covered with nutritious soil with the addition of humus and wood ash. Watering and compacting the earth.

Correct planting is a guarantee of the correct development of the plant

The trunk circle is mulched with humus, foliage or any organic material. In order for the plant to take root well, the aerial part is cut off, leaving 3 - 5 buds. Watering the barberry is necessary at planting and every 10 days until the seedling is accepted.

Barberry seedlings purchased in a container can be planted at any time, except for winter - they take root well, since the root system is not injured.

Advice. Use only fully ripe barberry berries, unripe berries can be poisonous.

Fertilization and feeding

In the first year after planting, you do not need to make any additional fertilizers, the barberry will have enough of those introduced into the planting pit. The next year, in early spring, feed the shrub with a urea solution or any fertilizer with an increased dose of nitrogen. Then fertilized every 4 years:

• in spring - nitrogenous;
• in the fall - phosphorus and potash.

Reproduction of barberry

Barberry is propagated by different methods: seeds, cuttings, layering and dividing the bush. Each of these methods is convenient in its own way, choose the most suitable one.

Barberry seeds

Reproduction by seeds. Select ripe berries, separate the seeds from the pulp, disinfect them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dry. Seeds are sown in a school to a depth of 1 cm. In spring, young seedlings are thinned so that a distance of about 3 cm remains between the shoots. Two-year-old seedlings are planted in a permanent place. After a couple of years, young bushes will give the first berries. In order to sow seeds in spring, they must be stratified for a long time at a temperature of 2 to 5 degrees.

Propagation by cuttings... For this method, you will need a greenhouse or a school. Cuttings are harvested in June. It is best to do this in the early morning, before the onset of the heat. The leaves are removed from the cuttings, leaving only on the crown, shortened by half. Put the cuttings in a bucket with root solution for several hours to stimulate root formation. Cuttings are planted in a school in fertile moist soil. The first two weeks carefully monitor the soil moisture and timely ventilation. As with the first method, cuttings are planted in a permanent place after two years.

Adult bushes are easily propagated by layering

Reproduction by layering. In early spring, select the strongest shoot, place it in an earthen groove and pin. The end of the escape must be above the ground. The part that you will drip in can be slightly scratched for faster root formation. In the fall, the finished seedling can be transplanted to a permanent place.

By dividing the bush mainly low-growing varieties of Thunberg barberry are propagated. For this, bushes of 3 - 5 years old are chosen, which branch out from ground level. In early spring, the bush is completely dug up and divided with a saw. Try to injure the root system as little as possible. Treat the sections with a weak solution of manganese or sprinkle with charcoal. Plant the delenki.

Advice. Barberries bear fruit only with cross-pollination. Plant at least two varieties per site.

Agrotechnics and care for barberry

Barberry needs watering only during severe drought in the first years of life. In the future, a strong root system itself is able to provide the plant with water. Watering is carried out under the root with warm water.

Most varieties of Thunberg barberry do not need pruning. Usually this is only sanitary pruning of frozen and thickening shoots, as well as excess growth. Varieties with a loose crown are formed by shortening the protruding shoots. Low-growing varieties do not need to be trimmed at all. To create a hedge, barberry is cut in June and a second time in August.

To give a decorative shape, barberry can be cut

Barberry tolerates frosts very well down to -35 degrees, but in the first winters it is better to cover young bushes with spruce branches or dry leaves for the winter, especially varieties with an evergreen crown.

Advice. The berries of most varieties of Thunberg barberry contain alkaloids, therefore they are bitter and not eaten. But birds willingly eat berries in winter.

Diseases and pests

One of the most dangerous pests of barberry is barberry aphid. The affected leaves of the plant shrivel and dry out. The insect can be seen on the underside of the leaf, the body of the pest is reddish-yellow in color. An increase in the insect colony harms the plant: the leaves curl and fall off, the shoots do not lay flower buds of the next year and are bent. In the spring, spray the barberry with a solution of laundry soap or tobacco infusion.

The flower moth feeds on the fruits of the barberry. Treatment with fufanon or decis will help here.

Fungal diseases are much more dangerous for plant health. It is more difficult to deal with them, and barberry is affected by them more often than by insects.

1. Powdery mildew. This disease is caused by a unique fungus that specializes only in barberries. If you notice a whitish bloom on the shoots and leaves at the beginning of summer, this is the mycelium of the fungus, which will ripen by autumn, and will spread even more in spring. It is necessary to spray the plant with a preparation containing sulfur. The leaves are sprayed on both sides. The procedure is carried out twice: at the time of bud break and after flowering. In case of severe damage - additionally again in the fall, after harvest. Shoots that are badly damaged are best removed and burned.

   Powdery mildew

2. Leaf rust... Thunberg barberry is not affected by this fungus, unlike other barberries.
3. Leaf spot - fungal disease. Pathogen spots appear on the leaf plate, which weaken the barberry, the shoots lag behind in development and freeze in winter. Before and after flowering, the plant is sprayed with copper oxychloride.
4. Wilting barberry characterized by drying of the branches on one side of the shrub, then the whole plant dries out little by little. On the cut, you can see the brown vessels. The infection enters the plant through the roots.
5. Drying of shoots. The fungus infects the bark of the plant and the shoots dry out. This is not a vascular disease. Pruning affected branches in time can prevent further spread of the disease.

   Barberry aphid

6. Bacteriosis The pathogen from the genus Pseudomonas causes bacterial shoot cancer. Cracks and cancers appear. Bacteriosis does not appear on inflorescences and berries.

Advice. When working with chemicals, do not forget about your own safety and protection of the respiratory system, eyes and skin.

Planting Barberry Thunberg and caring for the shrub will not cause any trouble, but the aesthetic pleasure from its beauty in your garden will exceed all expectations.

Barberry Thunberg in landscape design: video

Barberry Thunberg: photo