The ancient Egyptians used barberry to prevent the plague, and for centuries it was touted as a treatment for just about everything from cholera to diseases of the liver. Now, traditional medicine is taking an active interest in berberine, an alkaloid found in barberry plants.
Eleven rust-free Berberis thunbergii cultivars have been cleared for import to Canada:
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- B.thunbergii ‘Monry' Sunsation
Compact form. Height and spread up to 120 cm; golden foliage with slight orange cast. - B. T. ‘Monlers' Golden Nugget
Dwarf variety. Height 30 cm, spread 45 cm; golden foliage. - B. t. ‘Rose Glow'
Fast-growing variety. Height and spread up to 150 cm; first leaves purple, new shoots burnished rose-pink and splotched with purple. - B. t. ‘Tara' Emerald Carousel
Height and spread up to 150 cm; green foliage turns dark red to purple in fall.
B. t. ‘Aurea Nana'
Dwarf variety. Height and spread up to 90 cm; bright yellow summer foliage turns red in fall. - B. t. ‘Royal Cloak'
Height and spread up to 150 cm; large, velvety, deep purple foliage and upright arching habit. - B. t. ‘Concorde'
Dwarf variety. Height and spread up to 45 cm; velvety, deep purple foliage. - B. t. ‘Bailgreen' Jade Carousel
Height 90 cm, spread 125 cm; dense, compact green foliage. - B. t. var. atropurpurea ‘Monomb' Cherry Bomb
Height and spread up to 120 cm; deep crimson foliage. - B. t. var. a. Gentry ‘Royal Burgundy'
Height 60 cm, spread 90 cm; beautiful reddish summer foliage turns darker in fall. - B. t. var. a. ‘Bailone' Ruby Carousel
Height 90 cm, spread 100 cm; red foliage.
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3 Comments
Here in Grand Forks,B.C. after a very harsh winter my Barberry look almost dead,they are on the south side of the house,but the snow was hard on them and I've read that you can cut them right down in winter but I'm not that brave! I would welcome any advice. They get an abundance of compost. Thanks Verna
Here in Grand Forks,B.C. after a very harsh winter my Barberry look almost dead,they are on the south side of the house,but the snow was hard on them and I've read that you can cut them right down in winter but I'm not that brave! I would welcome any advice. They get an abundance of compost. Thanks Verna
We had 100 ft of barberry hedge...beautiful to look at, but!! We grew to hate it, due to the deadly thorns. The thorns drop into the soil all around the plant, spearing you every time you work in the soil. You cannot prune it without getting the barbs into your hands, and I even had one go through the side of my running shoe. The dead stocks of hedge are very difficult to remove for the same reason. Pruning had to be meticulously cleaned off of the sidewalk, as dogs would get the barbs into their feet. The thorn goes into your skin, leaving the barb deep inside. There it would stay, very sore, and swollen for two or three days, where it would finally rise out to be removed. There were times after pruning that we would both have 4-5 barbs imbedded. Yes it's pretty, but I would never recommend this plant to anyone.