Berberis Aurea (9cm)

Berberis Thunbergii ‘Aurea’ or the Japanese Barberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub, with notable bright foliage colours. It is a slow-growing, compact and upright bushy plant with spiny branches that make it suitable for hedges. Also known as the Golden Dwarf Barberry, this shrub brings multi-seasonal interest with flowers in spring, foliage colours in summer and red berries in autumn that last through winter.

In late April and May, small pale-yellow flowers will show up in short racemes along the thorny stems. These stems will keep the intruders away when Berberis Aurea is planted as hedges. It produces variable-sized ovate yellow leaves in summer that develop hints of orange-red in autumn. Apart from the leaves and flowers, Japanese Barberry brings you shiny red berries that will ornate the bushes in autumn.

Plant it in full sun or partial shade in a well-drained soil. It will perform at best in full sunlight. It is a tough bush that can tolerate drought and urban pollution. It can adapt to any soil until it is regularly drained in winter.

Japanese Barberry spreads quickly in the open ground. Its creeping roots will spread as soon as it finds more ground space. Prune it lightly to keep its shape and growth in control.

It is a perfect bushy plant suitable for hedges and borders. Use them along fences, barriers or in a mass planting. The bark and leaves of Japanese Barberry are said to have anti-bacterial medicinal properties. Due to its tolerance to urban pollution, it is easy to grow in city gardens.