Plants
Barberry
Berberis · Berberidaceae
Barberry is the classic shrub for impenetrable, colourful hedges: dense, thorny and with foliage from yellow-green through purple to almost black-red. Yellow flowers glow in May, followed in autumn by red berries and strong autumn colour. It is undemanding, takes clipping well and offers valuable, safe nesting cover for birds within its thorny tangle.
- Light
- Sun to partial shade; red and yellow foliage varieties need full sun for their colour.
- Watering
- Low: water only young plants and containers regularly; very frugal once established.
- Care level
- Easy
- Botanical
- Berberis
In gardens the purple barberry, Berberis thunbergii „Atropurpurea“, dominates with its dark red foliage, joined by dwarf varieties such as „Atropurpurea Nana“ for edging and yellow-leaved forms like „Aurea“. The native Berberis vulgaris grows taller, carries edible, vitamin-rich fruit and is ecologically especially valuable — in Persian cooking its dried berries are a classic with rice dishes, known as zereshk.
The thorns are both blessing and curse. As a hedge, barberry reliably keeps out unwanted visitors and offers birds safe nesting space; sturdy gloves are essential for any maintenance. If you clip regularly close to paths, a dwarf variety needing hardly any pruning is the better choice.
Coloured foliage needs light: red and yellow varieties only develop their intense colouring in sunny positions and visibly green out in shade. The soil can happily be free-draining and on the dry side; wet, compacted ground is the most common cultivation mistake.
In autumn barberry has its second great moment: the foliage turns glowing orange to scarlet and the coral-red fruits hang on into winter. We like to cut berried branches for autumn bouquets and wreaths — with gloves, and knowing the branches last a long time.
On toxicity: the ripe berries of the native barberry are edible, very sour and rich in vitamins. All other plant parts, above all roots and bark, contain the alkaloid berberine and are considered mildly toxic; the berries of ornamental species should also not be eaten in quantity.
Is Barberry toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Mildly irritating
- Cats
- Mildly irritating
- Dogs
- Mildly irritating
Roots, bark and leaves contain berberine and are considered mildly toxic. The ripe berries of the native Berberis vulgaris are edible; berries of ornamental varieties should not be eaten in larger amounts.
Typical symptoms: After eating larger amounts of bark, leaves or unripe berries: nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
In an emergency:call the German poison control centre in Bonn on +49 228 19240 (24/7) — for pets, contact an emergency vet directly. This information does not replace medical or veterinary advice.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Sunny to partially shaded position; coloured-leaf varieties only colour intensely in sun.
- 02Free-draining, preferably dryish soil; always avoid waterlogging.
- 03Established plants are very drought-tolerant and need hardly any watering.
- 04Clip hedges once a year after flowering; only thin out free-growing shrubs.
- 05Wear thornproof gloves for all work on the plant.
- 06No feeding needed; a dose of compost in spring is entirely sufficient.
Frequently asked
- Is barberry toxic to children and pets?
- Barberry is considered mildly toxic: roots, bark and leaves contain the alkaloid berberine, which causes gastrointestinal upset in larger amounts. The ripe red berries of the native species, however, are edible if very sour. Nibbling a few berries is uncritical, but children and pets should not consume larger quantities.
- Why is my red barberry losing its colour?
- Usually it is planted too shadily. The red pigments only form in plenty of light; in shade the foliage increasingly turns greenish. Moving it to a fully sunny spot brings the colour back from the next flush of growth.
- Is barberry suitable as a hedge?
- Excellently. It is dense, takes clipping well and, thanks to its thorns, is practically impenetrable — a natural fence that also gives birds safe nesting cover. Dwarf varieties suit low edging; the more vigorous thunbergii varieties make screening hedges at about two to three plants per metre.
- When is barberry at its best?
- Twice a year: in May and June, when the yellow flowers glow against the dark foliage, and in autumn, when the leaves turn orange to scarlet and the coral-red berries hang on. The autumn colour of the thunbergii varieties in particular is among the most intense that gardens here have to offer.