Berberis Darwiniisubmitted on 1 May 2014
When walking around my local neighbourhood in spring, one of the most striking things is the orange flowers of the berberis darwinii bushes and hedges in people's gardens.
Berberis can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs, but berberis darwinii is evergreen with dark green, shiny, very prickly holly-like leaves all year round. New foliage is tinged with red, turning green with age, while the bush is covered in a multitude of rich orange flowers from April to June, followed by edible blue barberries which are excellent in jams and preserves. You may be rewarded with a second flowering in a mild autumn.
B. darwinii is popular with bees, butterflies and moths, while it's dense foliage provides a good nesting site for birds. The berries are eaten by winter thrushes.
Due to it's quick-growing habit, it is popular as a hedging plant, but also looks good as a single shrub when trimmed to shape. For hedging, plants should be spaced at 45 - 60cm intervals.
It is an easy plant to accommodate as, although it prefers full sun or partial shade, it will grow in an exposed or sheltered site in any aspect. A sunny position, however, will encourage fruiting. It will grow in any soil provided it isn't waterlogged, and is hardy enough to survive cold winters.
B. darwinii has an ultimate height and spread after 10 - 20 years of 1.5 - 2.5 metres. Pruning should be in line with RHS pruning group 8 requirements, while propogation should be either by seed or from semi-hardwood cuttings.
It is generally trouble-free but may be infected by powdery mildews.
Most people will have room in their garden for B. darwinii, so why not give it a try.
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