Japanese barberry
Berberis thunbergii · Berberidaceae Popular
A dense, thorny shrub with small leaves in burgundy, gold or green, red autumn colour and red berries. It grows anywhere, and deer do not touch it.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late April to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
Invasive in parts of North America. Birds spread the seed into woodland, where it forms dense, thorny thickets. Listed as invasive across the Northeast and Midwest, and banned from sale in several states. The planner never chooses it.
Where Japanese barberry goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Birds carry its seed into woodland, where it forms thickets that crowd out native plants and shelter the ticks that carry Lyme disease, so the planner will not choose it. Ninebark and weigela offer coloured foliage instead.
- Formerly a standard choice for low hedges and coloured foliage
- Barrier planting
- Not recommended
What to plant with Japanese barberry
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Blue fescue: low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': adds the flowers, mid May to mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': adds the flowers, mid August to mid October; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Japanese barberry vs Ninebark 'Little Devil'.
Questions about Japanese barberry
Does Japanese barberry need sun or shade?
Japanese barberry grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Japanese barberry grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should Japanese barberry be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Japanese barberry plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
Is Japanese barberry poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
What can I plant instead of Japanese barberry?
Japanese barberry is listed as invasive in parts of North America, so the planner never uses it. These do the most similar job, and are native:
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire': the same job in a bed; 8 in narrower, medium leaves, not fine.
- Inkberry 'Shamrock': the same job in a bed; 8 in narrower, keeps its leaves in winter.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': the same job in a bed; 8 in narrower, keeps its leaves in winter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Japanese barberry?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will Japanese barberry spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is high. Birds spread the seed into woodland, where it forms dense, thorny thickets. Listed as invasive across the Northeast and Midwest, and banned from sale in several states.
It is listed as invasive in parts of North America, and the planner never chooses it.
What does Japanese barberry look like in winter?
Japanese barberry drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is Japanese barberry good for bees and butterflies?
Japanese barberry is visited by songbirds.
More Berberis
- Barberry 'Crimson Pygmy' Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana'
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late April to early May; dense clusters; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; burgundy, chartreuse, green
- Shape
- Rounded, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Comes from
- Asia (Japan)
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, salt, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.