Barberry bush: description, planting and care

A beautiful decorative shrub - barberry - will give your private plot a magical and unique view from the spring when its yellow flowers blossom with a delicate aroma, and until late autumn, when the bright red fruit brushes are stunningly combined with orange leaves. And if you add to this, and high medicinal properties, then planting a barberry bar - the question is settled. Care for this plant is simple, and the hedge is simply gorgeous.

Description of the plant

The name of this original ornamental shrub came from the Arabic beriberi, which means - a shell. The petals of the flowers really remind her. It is distinguished by branchiness, thorns and bark of light brown color plant barberry. The size of the bush can reach a height of 3.5 m. Rhizomes - lignifying, creeping. Shoots with faces - straight, yellow, later they will turn gray-white. Shorter shoots from buds appear leaves up to 4 cm long, thin, elliptical or obovate. On longer shoots develop from three to five spines up to 2 cm in length.

In the spring, in late April and early May, fragrant brushes of yellow flowers appear on the plant. The number of them can reach up to 25 pieces. By the end of September, fruiting bright red or purple fruits of an oblong form of bush. Barberry has seeds up to 7 mm long, narrowed and flattened in its upper part.

Distribution and ecology

Previously, barberries could be found only in Europe, the Caucasus and the Near East. He preferred a forest-steppe zone with sufficient illumination and dry soil. You could meet him in the mountains, at an altitude of 2 km. How does a barberry bush grow in the wild? The plant has a rather unsightly appearance. Today, thanks to the fact that a large number of varieties are bred, a decorative barberry bush can not be found unless in the Arctic or Antarctica.

Beneficial features

In addition to ripened berries, all other parts of the plant contain the alkaloid berberine. In the roots there are also other alkaloids: hydroxyacanthine, yatrorricin, palmatin, columbamin. In the bark there are many tannins and aromatic resins, in the leaves there is vitamin K. Ripe fruit contains carotenoids - lutein, flavoxanthin, xanthophyll, etc., as well as sugars, malic acid, pectins.

Even in Ancient Rus, spirits, branches and bark were insisted on alcohol to stop the flow of blood from the wounds and to remove the inflammation. Barberry is an ideal antibiotic, gifted by nature, which was treated with various colds. Infusion of fruits strengthened immunity, supported the liver. And in ancient Rome, it was believed that barberry brings happiness and luck, so he was protected in every possible way.

In modern official medicine, tincture on alcohol from leaves is used in gynecology to stop uterine bleeding and inhibit inflammatory processes. Berberine treats the underlying problems of the liver and gallbladder. Water infusions of fruits are facilitated by attacks of malaria, thanks to a strong diaphoretic property. With rheumatism, it calms the pain.

Application of barberry

The widest application was found in berries in the preparation of food: juices and fruit drinks, jams and jellies. And add the powder from the dried berries in the sauce to the meat, and your relatives for the ears will not be dragged from the plate. In Middle Asia, pilaf is not cooked without barberry, and the peoples of the Caucasus add it to horseradish.

Due to sour taste barberry is able to replace vinegar. And unripe marinated fruits can perfectly replace capers. Tincture and decoction in veterinary medicine is used as a hemostatic for various wounds in animals.

Barberry and pregnancy

Unfortunately, with an interesting situation, you should completely stop eating both berries and various tinctures. Because of the alkaloids contained in the plant, miscarriage is possible. Also, in pregnant women, the fruits can provoke the formation of blood clots.

However, a small amount of sauce for meat with barberry content will not do harm, so if you really want, then eat healthily. Just do not forget that everything should be in moderation.

How and where to plant a barberry

Planting bush barberry begins with choosing a place. This plant prefers open areas, well lit by the sun. And for species that belong to the Central Asian, you need to choose a place so that there are no drafts. Requirements for soil bush barberry presents the following: loams or well-dried soils, because the plant does not like waterlogging.

Planting a bush barberry on the allocated to him for growth place is carried out in the spring, before the buds begin to unfold, but it is possible to plant in autumn, when the leaves begin to crumble actively. Before landing in the pit, add a mixture of humus, earth and sand (in equal proportions). Depth should be 25-30 cm for 2-3-year-old seedlings and 40-50 for 5-7-year-olds. If you plan to make a hedge, you need to plant bushes in a trench. If in your area the soil is acidic, for example peat, then under the bushes, 200 grams of wood dust, lime or dolomite flour - 300-400 grams, must be applied. Of fertilizers, only 100 g of superphosphate will be needed.

How to care for a barberry bush

If you planted barberry bushes, caring for them will not be difficult. If the site for planting is chosen initially correctly, and the soil was provided with good aeration, then the roots will be healthy and able to breathe. Just sometimes you need to loosen the soil and clean the weeds.

In spring, at the beginning of the season or immediately after flowering, you need to cut the barberry. Grooming is performed annually. This action is aimed at forming a lush crown and removing weak and diseased shoots. And do not forget about the sharp thorns of barberry during the care. Next year, after planting in the spring, you must feed your barberry with nitrogen fertilizer. The size of the bush and its lush bloom will be grateful for such care. You need to repeat feeding every three years.

The main methods of reproduction of barberry

There are four main ways to propagate in your barberry area: dividing the bush, planting with layers, summer cuttings and seeds.

• Seeds need to be planted in autumn. Squeeze freshly picked fruit, rinse with running water and dry. Place them to a depth of not more than one centimeter. The soil should be loose at the same time, and the landing site should be well warmed by the sun. By summer the plant will please you with amicable shoots. But it is better to transplant a barberry bush after a year.
• The plant easily reproduces by means of summer cuttings. Just put their right amount in the soil in June, and in a couple of years you will have enough material to plant.
• Division of the bush is another way of reproduction. In this case, the main bush is carefully excavated so as not to damage the root system, and cut into several parts. If the roots are very thick, they are simply sawn along and the parts obtained are planted in new wells, abundantly moistening them before planting.
• Lapping is done in spring from young and healthy branches. Around the bush grooves are furrowed, into which the selected branches are laid. There they are fixed and poured with earth so that only one top remains. The entire season is well watered, and in the autumn you will have ready-to-plant bushes.

Pests and diseases

Although the decorative bush barberry is quite resistant to both fungal diseases and pests, it is also subject to them. Anthracnose and powdery mildew occur most often from fungal lesions. In the first case, the disease manifests as round spots of brown on the leaves, in the second - white, as if sprinkled with flour, plaque on the branches, leaves and flowers. Fungal attack is the first sign of water redundancy. Fungicides are used for treatment, and pruning of affected parts is carried out, which must be burned.

Barberry is a plant that is the intermediate owner of such a scourge of agriculture, like rust fungus, which affects cereals. That is why its cultivation next to the fields of rye and wheat is unacceptable. The only exception is the barberry of Tunberga, which is not susceptible to rust contamination. When the disease on the leaves are visible patches of orange with pads on the underside, in which the ripening of spores in huge quantities. They spread to cereals, both wild and cultured, with the help of wind.

Another disease causes a fungus of the genus Fusarium. Infection occurs through the roots, which rot, and the fungus along the vessels rises along the branches, causing the wilting of the bush. If you cut a branch, you can see the rings of vessels of brown color.

Of insects, the most common pest is barberry aphid. Its presence can be seen by wrinkled and dried leaves. To get rid of aphids it is possible with the help of a solution of laundry soap (on a bucket of water 300 g). Caterpillar of a flower moth eats berries. In case of their appearance, treat the barberry with "Chlorophos" or "Decis".

The most common types of barberry

Very unpretentious in the care of Berberis vulgaris, or ordinary barberry, whose height can reach two or more meters. The leaves are painted in a dark green color, and the flowers - in a brilliant yellow. The fruits are quite edible, juicy, with sourish taste, painted in a bright red color.

If in your region severe frosts, then this kind is for you. He perfectly tolerates frosts and is well experienced by drought. It can be multiplied by seeds, by dividing the bush and cuttings. Need a hedge, so that no one has passed? Barberry ordinary will help in this. However, protect your bushes from excess moisture, this species is very susceptible to diseases caused by fungi.

The plant has many varieties:

• Atropurpurea is a barberry bush, the photo of which is presented below, with red leaves.
• Aureomarginata - a plant bordered by a golden line.
• The albovariagate with variegated leaves.

When reproducing the original varieties, it should be borne in mind that when planting seeds only a part of the plant will retain its varietal characteristics.

Berberis canadensis, or barberry, Canadian, as the name implies, came from North America. It differs from the European fellow by greater spreading. Resistant to frost and drought. It is mainly used for landscaping on the American continent, therefore in Russia it is extremely rare.

Berberis thunbergii, or barberry Tunberga, originally from China and Japan. It is a small shrub in height up to a meter, but in diameter it can reach one and a half meters. The shoots are covered with small thorns very densely. Flowers of reddish-yellow color are collected on 2-4 pieces in small inflorescences. But berries for food are unsuitable because of their bitter taste, although the birds eat them with great pleasure.

Unlike the European and American brethren, Barberry Tunberg Practically does not suffer from fungal diseases, including rust. Propagating it simply as seeds, and dividing the bush, it is easy to pass and cuttings. This species has more than 50 varieties, which differ in the original color of the leaves, their shape and size. If you meet an unusually painted barberry bush, the photo of which you are interested in, most likely, it is Tungberg.

Berberis x ottawiensis, or Ottawa barberry, is a hybrid obtained by crossing red barberry and Tunberga. The main difference is the dark purple leaves are obovate. When autumn comes, they are painted in rich red. Beautiful brushes of yellow with a reddish shade of flowers, which are collected for 8-10 pieces, bloom in late May. From its "parents" the plant has acquired all the best - beauty of coloring, unpretentiousness and immunity to fungal diseases.

Berberis koreana, or Korean barberry, the height of the bush which reaches two meters, has large leaves obovate, leathery to the touch. In autumn they are painted in a purple-red color. The plant comes from the Korean peninsula. Flowers are collected in long brushes of 15-20 pieces, and the smell is very strong. Barberry is very unpretentious in care and resistant to frost. Only in windy cold winters its tops can freeze. But the thaw will not be pleasant to him, at this time for him the humidity is very high, and this plant, as is known, is highly susceptible to rust.

Berberis integerrima, Or barberry whole-end, came to our household plots from Central Asia, where it grows at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level. The height of the shrub can reach two and a half meters. The spines are small, one and a half centimeters long, and the leaves with a solid edge are dyed in a greyish-green tone. In the inflorescence, up to 20 flowers of yellow color can be collected, and the fruits dark maroon with a touch of azure color. The entire barberry bush does not like acid soil. Planting and caring for him is quite simple. Adult plants perfectly survive even the harshest winter, but young can and frost, but easily tolerate pruning and quickly grow.

Berberis sphaerocarpa, or barberry sharoblodny (in another way they are called bipartite), came to us in the plots of land from the mountains of Central Asia. The shrub can reach 2.5 meters in height, very spreading, with small-sawed edges of gray-green color. Collected on 5-10 flowers of the inflorescence are very fragrant. The fruit with a bluish bloom is colored dark blue.

The population of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan constantly use berries in preparation, add to the sauce for shish kebab and shurpa. Fruits are an excellent way to fight scurvy, as they are very rich in ascorbic acid.

This species is very unpretentious in the care, tolerates even a strong heat and a long drought. It is well tolerated by frosty winters, but young shoots can suffer, so it is better to cover them. But excessive humidity can lead to the disease of barbarous barberry, especially it rust. Plant it in a place that is not blown through winds, and the soil is dry and not acidic, and you will enjoy delicious fruits and beautiful appearance. Propagates best by cuttings and seeds.

Berberis nummularia, or barberry coin, came to us from the steppes of Central and Northern Asia. The bush is very branched up to 2 meters high. The branches of the reddish color are covered with very large spines up to 3 cm long. The leaves are bluish-green in color, very rigid, entire, oblong-elliptical in shape. Large flowers of bright yellow color are collected in the brush. The berries are oval in the ripe form of a bright red color. Before 3-4 years of age barberry is subject to freezing, after which it is restored for a long time. Does not like strongly moistened soil, as it is very susceptible to fungal diseases. But the drought, even strong and long, is not afraid. The soil requires him to be light, not acidic.

Amur barberry comes from the Far East. In the wild, he prefers to settle on the river coast and forest edges. Outwardly, it differs little from the ordinary Amur barberry, whose height can reach 3.5 m. Large serrated leaves of glossy-green color in the fall become either yellow or purple.