Evergreen barberry species inspire with a multifaceted family of varieties for every design wish in creative garden design. Step into the wonderful world of beautiful Berberis shrubs, which wear their foliage all year round in beds and tubs.

Some barberry species keep their leaves on in winter

Barberry varieties - defensive bulwark against uninvited guests

To protect your property from prying eyes and uninvited guests, you can build a high wall or build a mighty fence. If you don't feel like turning your garden into a prison-like fortress, plant an evergreen barberry hedge. The following varieties boast thorns up to 4 cm long to ward off unwanted two- and four-legged visitors:

  • Large-leaved barberry (Berberis julianae): 200 to 300 cm in height and width
  • Red barberry (Berberis thunbergii): 200 to 300 cm high and 100 to 200 cm wide
  • White-variegated shrub barberry 'Silver Miles' (Berberis ottawensis): 150 to 250 cm high and 100 to 150 cm wide

The eye is drawn to the magnificent Hooker's barberry (Berberis hookeri) as a property border that offers hospitable insight. The shrubs, which grow to a maximum of shoulder height, boast shiny green leaves with small thorns on the edges.

Dwarf varieties - evergreen ornaments for pots and resting places

With a cushion-like shape and evergreen foliage, dwarf barberries in tubs beautify the balcony at any time of the year. As a solitaire or small hedge, the decorative shrubs give any resting place a well-groomed appearance without requiring regular care. The following Berberis varieties have particularly stood out:

  • Green cushion barberry 'Nana' (Berberis buxifolia): 40 to 75 cm high and 60 to 80 cm wide
  • Ball barberry 'Amstelveen' (Berberis frikartii): 60 to 80 cm high and just as wide
  • Cushion barberry (Berberis candidula): 60 to 80 cm high and 100 to 160 cm wide

The showpiece of this noble variety collection is the barberry 'Red Jewel' (Berberis media). During the course of the year, the pretty shrub plays with a subtle play of colors, to which it owes its name. When they sprout, the leaves appear shiny red, only to present themselves as dark green with a reddish tinge in summer. In autumn the color changes to an intense crimson.

tips

Once a year you should prune fast-growing, evergreen barberries. The best time for the shape and maintenance cut is immediately after the end of the flowering period. Slow-growing varieties, such as the cushion barberry 'Jytte', are spared from pruning.

Category:

Vegetable garden