Evergreen barberry species inspire with a multi-faceted variety family for every design wish in creative garden design. Enter the wonderful world of beautiful Berberis bushes, which wear their foliage all year round in beds and pots.
Which barberry species are evergreen and versatile?
Evergreen barberry varieties are ideal for hedges, containers and garden design. Particularly defensive species include Berberis julianae, Berberis thunbergii and Berberis ottawensis. Dwarf varieties such as Berberis buxifolia 'Nana', Berberis frikartii 'Amstelveen' and Berberis candidula also decorate potted plants or graves.
Barberry varieties – a defensive bulwark against uninvited guests
To protect your property from prying eyes and uninvited guests, you can build a high wall or erect a powerful fence. If you don't feel like turning your garden into a prison-like fortress, plant an evergreen barberry hedge. The following varieties boast thorns up to 4 cm long to ward off unwanted two- and four-legged visitors:
- Large-leaved barberry (Berberis julianae): 200 to 300 cm height and width
- Red hedge barberry (Berberis thunbergii): 200 to 300 cm high and 100 to 200 cm wide
- White variegated bush barberry 'Silver Miles' (Berberis ottawensis): 150 to 250 cm high and 100 to 150 cm wide
As a property border that provides hospitable insights, the eye is focused on the magnificent Hooker's barberry (Berberis hookeri). The bushes grow to maximum shoulder height and boast shiny green leaves that have small thorns on the edges.
Dwarf varieties – evergreen decorations for pots and resting places
With their cushion-shaped shape and evergreen foliage, dwarf barberries in pots beautify the balcony at any time of the year. As a solitary plant or small hedge, the decorative trees give any resting place a well-kept appearance without requiring regular care. The following Berberis varieties have particularly stood out:
- Green cushion barberry 'Nana' (Berberis buxifolia): 40 to 75 cm high and 60 to 80 cm wide
- Ball barberry 'Amstelveen' (Berberis frikartii): 60 to 80 cm high and just as wide
- Cushion barberry (Berberis candidula): 60 to 80 cm high and 100 to 160 cm wide
The showpiece of this noble variety collection is the barberry 'Red Jewel' (Berberis media). Over the course of the year, the pretty shrub produces a subtle play of colors, to which it owes its name. When budding, the leaves appear shiny red, then turn dark green with a reddish shimmer in summer. In autumn the color changes to an intense purple red.
Tip
You should cut fast-growing, evergreen barberry once a year. The best time for shape and maintenance pruning is immediately after the end of the flowering period. Slow-growing varieties, such as the cushion barberry 'Jytte', are spared from pruning.
