How to grow Japanese barberry

Berberis thunbergii · Thunberg's barberry, red barberry

Spiny, dense deciduous shrub from Japan, 0.9–1.8 m tall, grown for foliage that turns orange and red in autumn and for bright red berries that last into winter. It is invasive in parts of eastern North America, so check local rules before planting.

Japanese barberry — Photo: User:MPF, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts

Type	Shrub
Family	Berberidaceae
Light	Full sun
Frost	tolerates light frost
Where it grows	Open ground

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	—	—	nitrogen, at the start of the stage
Flowering	—	—	—
Winter rest	—	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun is best; it tolerates part shade.

Soil

Almost any well-drained soil, including dry ground; it does not tolerate wet, poorly drained soil.

Care

Once established it withstands drought and urban conditions. Feed in spring. Prune right after flowering or in late winter; an overgrown shrub can be cut back hard, to about 30 cm, in late winter. Birds spread the seed, so remove seedlings that appear.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.