Berberis thunbergii

Berberis thunbergii Hedging

Berberis thunbergii is the Green variety of Japanese Barberry. With its vandal-proof, vicious spines and springy, arching stems, this medium sized shrub makes a very good prickly hedge or specimen bush. It is an ornamental plant, decked out with small but fragrant yellow flowers in spring that mature into bright red, inedible berries in summer. The small green leaves have a great, long lasting Autumn display, cascading in showers of red, orange and pale purple.  This is a thorny shrub that makes a great hedge plant, suitable for any well drained soil. Berberis thunbergii bushes are quite shade tolerant and are good for hedges up to 2-3 metres high.

Browse all of our other varieties of Berberis plants for sale.

Berberis thunbergii hedge plants are delivered bareroot during winter (Nov-March) and pot-grown year round. Bareroot Barberry bushes are cheaper than pot grown plants. Pot grown shrubs are available in the largest sizes.

Choosing a size:
When you are ordering Berberis thunbergii plants for a hedge, we generally recommend that you use plants that are graded at 40/60cms. They are cheaper than larger plants, easier to handle and they will establish well in poor conditions. Use the 60/80cms tall plants if you want a mature hedge quickly, if you want to clip them as topiary or for instant impact as a specimen shrub. All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots or pots aren't measured).

Spacing a Green Berberis hedge:
Plant Berberis thunbergii hedging at 3 plants per metre, 33cms apart.

History & uses of Green Japanese Barberry:
This species was introduced to Europe from Japan in the 1860's. It has won the RHS Award of Garden Merit and a First Class Certificate for displays of its cut stems.