Barberry Bushes

How to Plant and Care for Barberry Bushes

Barberry bushes are also called Pepperidge bushes; they are perfect for landscaping due to their attractive features. In the fall you get colorful leaves, and during the spring these bush feature beautiful flowers. The barberry also has berries that make it lovely throughout most of the year. One of the best features of this bush is that it is non poisonous; this means that even if you have small children you can plant this bush with no worries.

When planting barberry bushes you will need to find a location that gets plenty of sun. Although if you are planting the evergreen barberry a little shade won’t hurt, it is still better for the bush to get as much sun as possible. These bushes tend to do well in all types of soil.

After you know where you are going to plant your bush, you will then need to dig a hole that will accommodate the roots. In addition, if you plan to plant more than one of these barberry bushes you will also need to consider how far apart they should be. Take into consideration the spread of the bush and its roots.

For best results you will want to mix some fertilizer with the soil at the bottom of the hole where you are going to plant your bush, plus you will also want to add fertilizer to the soil that you will use to cover the roots.

Next place your barberry bushes in the holes, covering the roots until the soil reaches the base of the plants. Pat down the soil firmly and then water.

After two weeks you will want to trim off about 2-inches from the top of the bush. This will encourage new growth, which is important when you first plant these bushes.

Once barberry bushes are established they don’t’ take a lot of care, but you will want to pay some attention to watering your bushes, especially during dry weather.

Trimming Your Barberry Bushes

Although barberry bushes don’t need a lot of attentions, once in a while you will need to trim them. Without pruning, these bushes tend to sprawl, and they will lose some of their attractiveness.

When trimming barberry bushes you will need to wear gardening gloves; the branches can poke your skin and leave scratches, and sometimes even deep wounds. For this reason you should never trim this bush without protecting your hands.

Step back from the bush and think about how you would like it shaped. Once you have a general idea of shape, you will then know about how much you will need to trim from your barberry bushes.

For the evergreen barberry bush you should trim as soon as it flowers, but only do light trimming. If the bush needs heavy pruning this should be done during the winter. Other varieties of this bush will need to be trimmed at the end of the summer growing season.

Start at the top of the bush and trim the thin branches with pruning shears. For thicker branches or stems located in the middle of the bush, you will need to use loppers for trimming.

You will be done trimming your barberry bushes when they appear even and well shaped. One advantage to trimming these bushes is that it will help the bush to develop a thick base.

Even if you are hesitant to trim your barberry bushes, don’t be. You will not ruin their look by removing old growth; on the contrary you will be encouraging new growth and helping your bushes to be even more beautiful.