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FAQs
What is the difference between evergreen and deciduous Berberis?
- Evergreen berberis varieties are more shade-tolerant, and have more impressive flowers. They holds their leaves year round.
- Deciduous berberis varieties are best planted in full sun, and give a colourful Autumn display before dropping their leaves.
Because Berberis is so dense, you still can't see through a clipped hedge in Winter, and the berries - which are more visible after the leaves fall - provide a long season of interest. The flowers tend to be smaller, but still attractive to pollinating insects.
Which Berberis should I choose?
Best Berberis for boundary hedging: Berberis thunbergii, both Green and Purple, and Berberis julianae have the prickliest thorns. Berberis julianae and Berberis darwinii will grow the tallest, reaching up to 3-4m.
Best Berberis for colourful flowers: Berberis darwinii has vivid yellow-orange flowers, which mature into deep blue berries.
Best Berberis for Autumn colour: All the Berberis thunbergii varieties have good autumn foliage.
Best Berberis for mixed borders: Berberis 'Chocolate Summer' is a semi-dwarf variety that grows to under 1.5m, perfect for the back or middle of a flower bed.
What is the difference between Bareroot and Pot Grown Berberis?
- Bareroot plants are cheaper, easier to carry and plant, and tend to establish even better than their pot grown equivalents.
They can only be planted between November and March.
- Pot grown plants can be planted year round. Some types of Berberis, and some larger sizes, are only sold pot grown.
You can grow a Berberis hedge in any well drained soil, including chalk, poor soils, and heavy clay as long as it is not waterlogged in Winter.
Berberis is very hardy, pollution tolerant, wind-resistant, and suitable for the coast.
- Evergreen Berberis varieties (Berberis julianae and Berberis darwinii) tolerate partial shade well, although they won't flower as nicely in deeper shade, and aren't recommended for full shade, where Holly is a better choice.
- Deciduous Berberis (Berberis thunbergii varieties) is best in close to full sun, which will bring out the best growth & foliage colour.
Berberis plants are moderately vigorous, growing at 30-40cm per year, depending on your location (plants generally grow faster in the warmer South & West than in the cooler East & North of Great Britain) and your local conditions (wind-shelter and full sun are ideal).
You can plant Berberis hedging at any time of year, except when the soil is frozen.
The best time to plant Berberis is in winter (November to March), using bareroot stock, which is cheaper, easier to carry and plant, and tends to establish even better than the pot grown equivalents.
Spacing a Berberis Hedge:
- For a standard single row hedge, plant berberis at 3 per metre, every 33cm.
- An interior hedge for purely decorative purposes can be planted at 2 plants per metre (every 50cm) in a single row.
Planting Instructions:
Watch our video on planting a formal hedge (it demonstrates beech, but it's the same for all formal hedging whether pot-grown or bareroot).
We always recommend using Rootgrow friendly fungi, especially if your soil is poor.
Essential Aftercare:
Water well after planting, and consistently during the first summer. A porous hose will make the job easier.
Keep the ground under your new hedge clear of weeds.
Remember: the two biggest causes of new hedges failing are drying out, and/or being choked by weeds.
How & When to trim new a new Berberis hedge
New Berberis hedges only need very light trimming.
- After Winter Planting:
Immediately after planting, trim off the very end of every stem, all over the plant, top and sides. - After Summer Planting:
It won't hurt your plants to trim them right away, but you can wait until late autumn.
Only remove the leaf buds at the end of the stems, don't cut them back hard.
If you have a long row to do, there is no harm in using shears or a power trimmer and taking off about 1 inch from each stem.
Years 1 & 2: While your Berberis hedge is still establishing, it's best to trim it in winter. One light cut, just nipping off the ends of the new growth is all it needs.
How & When to trim a mature Berberis hedge
You can trim your berberis hedge at any time without harming it.
One trim per year is sufficient to keep your hedge reasonably tidy. For the best flower display, trim in winter.
If you want a really tidy, formal hedge, trim again after flowering, although this will remove most of the berries.
The ideal shape for a normal hedge is slightly tapered, a bit like this but with less steep sides: / \ so that light can reach the lowest branches.
If your hedge runs east-west, its south facing side gets full sun and so could be vertical, like this: | \ where the left hand edge represents the south facing side, and the north facing side is sloped as normal.
If you need to prune out a branch, it is ideal to do it in winter when the tree is dormant, but honestly anytime is fine.
Why do I have to trim my Berberis Hedge at all?
By trimming your new Berberis hedge plants early and often, you force them to branch out.
The more side branches there are, the more leaves you get, and the nicer your hedge looks.
If you don't trim your Berberis hedging, it will become lanky and sparse, with long, arching, thorny stems attacking innocent passers-by!
By clipping the hedge, we maintain dense growth with lots of leaves down to the ground, with a shape that allows light to the lowest branches.
An overgrown or sparse old Berberis hedge that needs serious remedial pruning is best done in winter, when the plants are dormant.
This will ensure the most vigorous regrowth the following year.
However, an established Berberis is very tough, and you could hard prune it at any time without hurting it, as long as you water in dry weather if you hard prune it in summer.
Simply cut the whole thing down with loppers to stumps about 30cm high.
Remove dead wood, and for bonus points you could cut the oldest, thickest stems right down to ground level, especially in the centre, but that is optional.
If the soil is dry, water well, then mulch around the base to cover the bare soil.
For the first couple of years afterwards, trim the new growth only once a year in winter to tidy and encourage bushiness.