Barberry

Barberry is an unsung hero of many gardens here in Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland! Not only do they provide foliage colors from a variety of different spectrums, but they are also deer and pest-resistant.

As it shares the shape of other hedge favorites such as boxwood or compacta holly, barberry offers a variety of color choices that others do not. You can find varieties that range from deep burgundy to red, orange, yellow, and all shades in between.

Be cautious when handling this bush — a big factor in barberry’s deer resistance is the sharp thorns that hide underneath the foliage. Be sure when planting that you wear sturdy gloves and plant barberry in areas where there isn’t a lot of foot traffic. We’d hate to see these planted around an outdoor water spigot you’d need to get access to in the summer!

Barberry Varieties Available at Meadows Farms

Remember, the barberry bushes and shrubs listed below are just a selection of the wide variety that Meadows Farms carries. Please call your local Meadows Farms for other varieties or special requests.

ADMIRATION

A very compact mound of showy bright red foliage edged in yellow, turning to fiery red in fall; very showy, great as a color contrast in the landscape; plant on slopes, in beds, as a border.

BONANZA GOLD

A very dwarf form of the species, ideal for detail use in the garden; superb yellow foliage all season long, excellent contrast plant where very small size is required.

CONCORDE

One of the smallest purple-leaf barberries available, growing into a small, tight, and compact mound. Ideal for color accent use in the garden or mass planting, even as edging; new growth is red, providing an interesting color contrast.

CRIMSON PYGMY

The most popular dwarf cultivar loved for its reddish-purple foliage all season long and extremely compact, rounded habit; excellent for color contrast, especially when used in groups.

GOLDEN NUGGET

An exceptional garden selection with a dwarf, compact habit of growth and ravishing tiny golden leaves that retain their color all season long, often with a hint of orange; an exceptional color shrub for the mixed border, can even be used as edging.

HELMOND PILLAR

One of the most exciting new landscape developments in many years, this shrub combines its rigidly upright, columnar habit with rich purple-red foliage all season long, not to mention showy flowers and fruit; the ultimate garden accent shrub.

ROSE GLOW

A spectacular selection with pink and purple variegated foliage, definitely a knockout for color contrast in the landscape; makes a great accent, solitary or impenetrable hedge; very popular and worthy of its renown.

ROSY ROCKET

Upright, columnar form with variegated new foliage in pink and burgundy tones on coral stems; foliage matures to deep burgundy, giving the mature plant a two-tone effect; very rust-resistant.

ROYAL BURGUNDY

An attractive compact shrub for the garden border with rich velvet-burgundy foliage all season long turning to deep red in fall; keeps its tightly mounded low-growing habit without pruning, color doesn’t fade over summer.

TINY GOLD

This variety brings bright color into the landscape; striking yellow foliage that becomes more chartreuse at maturity; very rust-resistant, slow-growing, and low maintenance.