Hi .. I wonder what this bush is called .. I lost the tag while ago back .. They are planted around my house .. Very pretty but I can tell you one thing this baby has like sharp needles like thorns and man you need gloves on to plant them .. I thank you for your response. I have added a few pics of this bush.
Brenda
Please name this
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applestar
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I suspect it's Barberry https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barberry
Hah! The wiki article says those berries are edible? I never knew that. Not sure if even *I* would try wild foraging those
But there are many cultivars, some named and more decorative -- usually darker red foliage I think? So the fruit characteristic maybe wildly variable.
My neighbor has a big one just on the other side of the fence, and the birds obviously think they are yummy because I keep finding volunteers -- last year, I dug up a sizable one from the middle of my front porch-side dwarf holly planting (it was NOT a fun process I can tell you
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Hah! The wiki article says those berries are edible? I never knew that. Not sure if even *I* would try wild foraging those
But there are many cultivars, some named and more decorative -- usually darker red foliage I think? So the fruit characteristic maybe wildly variable.
My neighbor has a big one just on the other side of the fence, and the birds obviously think they are yummy because I keep finding volunteers -- last year, I dug up a sizable one from the middle of my front porch-side dwarf holly planting (it was NOT a fun process I can tell you
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rainbowgardener
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Yup, barberry, I am thinking crimson pigmy barberry.
They have been pruned all wrong. They are narrow at the base and wider at the top. In the long run the wide top will shade out the narrow base and the leaves at the bottom will die, leaving you with bare sticks with greenery on top.
See my post here about this: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... ng#p357027
You can prune in fall and you will need to prune the top back hard to start working towards this structure. (You are not going to get there all in one step, one time of pruning.) It's OK, the barberry is very vigorous and will not mind it. It is actually an invasive exotic that is listed as noxious weed in some states: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/te ... berry.html
I will say that this says as well as birds spreading the seed by eating the berries, it spreads vegetatively by the roots. But I planted some 20+ years ago where I used to live and they are still just sitting there. I can't say if there are other barberries in the neighborhood that birds planted, but they have not spread at all from the roots.
When you prune, use heavy gloves and be sure to pick up and dispose of all the pieces, NOT in a compost pile or brush pile. When they start to break down, those vicious thorns drop off and lie around in the landscape waiting for an unwary hand or foot.
You can see that I have mixed feelings about these shrubs, even though they are pretty in the landscape ...
Welcome to the Forum!
They have been pruned all wrong. They are narrow at the base and wider at the top. In the long run the wide top will shade out the narrow base and the leaves at the bottom will die, leaving you with bare sticks with greenery on top.
See my post here about this: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... ng#p357027
You can prune in fall and you will need to prune the top back hard to start working towards this structure. (You are not going to get there all in one step, one time of pruning.) It's OK, the barberry is very vigorous and will not mind it. It is actually an invasive exotic that is listed as noxious weed in some states: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/te ... berry.html
I will say that this says as well as birds spreading the seed by eating the berries, it spreads vegetatively by the roots. But I planted some 20+ years ago where I used to live and they are still just sitting there. I can't say if there are other barberries in the neighborhood that birds planted, but they have not spread at all from the roots.
When you prune, use heavy gloves and be sure to pick up and dispose of all the pieces, NOT in a compost pile or brush pile. When they start to break down, those vicious thorns drop off and lie around in the landscape waiting for an unwary hand or foot.
You can see that I have mixed feelings about these shrubs, even though they are pretty in the landscape ...
Welcome to the Forum!
Last edited by rainbowgardener on Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
I read somewhere online that barberries are edible and used in Persian cusine. I've seen birds eat them so I suppose they're edible (though pretty the berries are so small, you'd have to collect a lot to do any good).
These used to be called "sticker bushes" where I grew up. There are many varieties, and colors range from green leaves to pink and even red. Almost have stickers or thorns, though I believe there may be varieties that have pretty much bred out the stickers.
They used to be very popular for hedges 50 years ago in the midwest, now you don't see them so much anymore. I see on certain state websites they are considered a "pest" species, which is probably why they've declined in popularity.
These used to be called "sticker bushes" where I grew up. There are many varieties, and colors range from green leaves to pink and even red. Almost have stickers or thorns, though I believe there may be varieties that have pretty much bred out the stickers.
They used to be very popular for hedges 50 years ago in the midwest, now you don't see them so much anymore. I see on certain state websites they are considered a "pest" species, which is probably why they've declined in popularity.