Tuesday, October 14, 2014

#3) Berberis thunbergii and cultivars



There was a plant that caught my eye at Berkeley Horticultural Nursery that seemed so wonderfully fall-like, and it turned out to be Berberis thunbergii 'Anderson.' For whatever reason, there isn't a lot of information online about this cultivar.

This piqued my interest in Berberis thunbergii and how beautiful it can be, especially as an indicator of the seasons. Through all its seasonal changes, from its vibrant yellow blooms, to it's twiggy/red berry stage, and sending out bright new shoots, it's always beautiful and interesting. Perhaps I'm late to this party, but I think I'm in love.

Behold the glory of the Barberry: A) Berberis thunbergii (love the green with the yellow), (B) Berberis thunbergii 'Rose Glow', (C) Berberis thunbergii, (D) Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana'.



It is even quite shade-tolerant and deer resistant. There's nothing that I don't like about these plants. The thorns are even manageable as long as they are kept away from paths. Perhaps the only fact that I find troubling is that it is considered invasive on the East Coast. Something to keep an eye on.

Berberis thunbergii, such as (A) 'Green Carpet' would look great in a Napa-like planting scheme, with (B) Vitis 'Roger's Red', Platanus racemosa, (D) Olea europaea, and (E) Muhlenbergia rigens, celebrating the seasons and the dry California landscape.




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