Berberis or Barberry

Berberis is probably one of the most useful ornamental ‘Keep To The Path’ hedges. They are all covered in thorns, some small like Berberis darwinii, and some really large (over 25mm long) like Berberis julianae, which are strong enough to penetrate leather gloves. Therefore mind fingers and eyes. Some are evergreen and some deciduous, and many of the deciduous varieties have a strong autumn leaf colour. The flowers are yellow to orange, some giving the best orange flowers of any flowering shrub. There are some dwarf varieties. I have just included the 4 most commonly seen Barberries.        

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  Berberis thunbergii in autumn

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  Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’ in flower

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  Berberis x stenophylla , evergreen and in flower

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  The evergreen Berberis darwinii in flower