Japanese Barberry
A Closer Look at Japanese Barberry
Japanese barberry is a berberis plant that is, as its name suggests, native of Japan as well as the easternmost parts of Asia. This plant is quite a thick shrub that can grow to just over six feet tall. The Japanese barberry has long, dark branches that produce small, green, oval-shaped leaves. It also produces glossy, bright red “fruit” that looks similar to that found on holly, although the fruit of the barberry is edible.
The barberry is often grown to lend an aesthetically pleasing touch to walkways, near mail boxes, and as border plants. It grows extremely well in the northern hemisphere and is a perennial, which means that one wouldn’t have to worry about replacing the plant for many years. There have even been some tampering with this species to produce shrubs with yellow, red, and even two-toned leaf colors to make it more adaptable to different gardening tastes.
While this sounds like a fairly pretty little shrub, maybe one you could envision planting in your own garden, it has developed quite a notorious reputation. Many people are of the mind that the Japanese barberry grows too well, especially in North America where this particular shrub grows like a weed. The barberry has been known to grow out of control in natural areas to the extent that natural, local plants are killed off by this dense and quickly spreading shrub.
What is often planted as an ornamental addition to one’s garden can quickly become difficult to control. Even if a garden version of this plant is kept closely maintained, birds are just crazy about the fruit that the plant produces. Thinking back to science class in grade school, we know that birds aid in the spread of plants by passing seeds through their feces. When the feces land on the ground in a sufficient environment, the seed will eventually produce a plant. This is how the Japanese barberry plant has become such a threat to natural environments which normally wouldn’t see this species of plant.
The Japanese barberry is particularly fond of growing in fields, wooded areas, practically any open patch of land, as well as along power lines and roads. It is so versatile, that it can grow in full sun or shade and doesn’t have any specific soil requirements. This species is so invasive that the cultivation of Japanese barberry is now prohibited in Canada. Another reason for this prohibition is that this shrub tends to be a carrier of black rust, which is a disease that is particularly fond of the wheat crops grown in Canada.
The best way to control an unruly barberry plant is by regularly trimming the sections that become too overgrown. If you want to get rid of the plant altogether, it may take a bit of persistence on your part. Start by removing the entire plant—this includes pulling up as much of the roots as you can find in the ground. A hoe or weed wrench will be a useful tool for this purpose. Be careful when handling the plant itself, as the branches are quite prickly and can prick or cut your fingers. If you mow the lawn frequently where the plant used to reside, it can minimize the chances of it coming back. If the plant is located in a very rocky area where you simply can’t get to the roots, you may have to use a good quality herbicide. It may take a few applications in order to fully kill off this persistent species of shrub, but if you keep at it you should be barberry-free in no time!