Berberis julianae

Wintergreen barberry is another Chinese taxon. It is an impressive and hardy evergreen shrub with perhaps the largest leaves as well as spines in the group. Leaves are 4-8 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide, narrowly elliptic, glossy, sharply serrated, soft green when they emerge, dark green in summer and winter, and turn vibrant shades of golden orange, scarlet red, and carmine red in autumn. In spring appear dense clusters of rich yellow, melliferous flowers that are followed by small, oblong, blue-bloomed, non-poisonous fruit in late summer.

The plant grows vigorously into an upright, dense shrub with arching side branches. It can be pruned in late spring right after flowering, never in spring – you would lose the flowers, or lightly clipped to shapes in midsummer. In the wild its mature height can reach up to 3m, and in cultivation it usually keeps around 2m. The branches are loaded with 2-4 cm long, sharp spines making it an ideal choice for a barrier against unwanted intruders (including humans) which is commented by Randy Stewart on his Landscape Design Blog saying ‘Only a complete moron would ever try to climb through a Julian barberry hedge’. So much about its impenetrability.

Evergreen barberries will grow in almost any well-drained soil that will not dry out for longer than a month. It does not need mulching but will benefit from constant moisture. No fertilizing is needed but is possible, and will result in a bushier, faster growing shrub with larger leaves. It is very hardy to abt. -29°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 14-02-2020