A hedge of barberry in all its diversity
What is noteworthy, you can not always find barberry with green foliage. Very often in the countryside there are bushes of this family with purple leaves, yellow, a lot of varieties whose leaves are variegated( in "Kelleris" green with white spots, in "Harlequin" purple with white, gray and pink spots).There is a particularly beautiful variety, with a gold border along the edge of a green leaf, it is called - "Golden Ring".Blooming barberry is a whole extravaganza, when the plant is literally strewn with tiny flowers in the form of bells yellow or orange with interspersed red. But not only a fairly wide range of colors is interesting barberry. Impressive can be and the sizes - bushes of different grades can grow only up to 30 centimeters or reach three meters in height.
Even the tallest barberry bush would look sloppy if it was not succumbing to a haircut. However, these plants, regardless of the variety, are perfectly trimmed, long preserving the shape given to them. By the way, branches of barberry depending on the variety are erect( "Erecta", "Red Pilar") or drooping( most varieties), which gives some scope for design ideas - the width of the hedge depends only on the depth of trimming. Sometimes the plant initially has a certain shape, in particular, the
crown of dwarf varieties of barberry as it develops assumes a dense hemispherical form of unlike large branchy bushes.A hedgerow from barberry of tunberga as one of the variants of
Despite the fact that Berberis vulgaris L. is the most common in Russia. Or, otherwise, barberry is ordinary, it does not enjoy special success as an ornamental plant among gardeners. It is much more popular such a variety, for example, like Barberry Tunberga, sort "Aurea", rarely grows to a height of more than a meter and a half, but has a beautiful yellow foliage. The only problem with the cultivation of this variety is its somewhat "vampire" trait - the plant completely does not tolerate direct sun rays and quickly burns out, because of what it is better to grow it in shady places. A hedgerow from the barberry of Tunberg is more successful with the use of such a variety, which appeared only recently, as "Bonanza Gold", which is tolerable to the ultraviolet, but in this case one can count only on a meter hedge.
The origin of the barberry of Tunberg is overseas, even, partly, overseas - the cradle for this shrub is the slopes of mountains in China and Japan. Initially, the barberry of the Tunberga had dark green foliage, but the decorative varieties of this plant were completely different in color. In particular, in the varieties Berberis thunbergii f. Atropurpurea and 'Red Chief' foliage are dark purple, and in the Berberis thunbergii 'Red King' variety, the dense compact crown has a dark red color. Very beautiful is the variety Berberis thunbergii 'Rose Glow', the leaves of which have a pink-red-brown color, and besides are streaked with white dots and dots.
Barbaris - fineness of care
Despite the fact that most varieties of barberry like the sun, as it became clear from the above, there are exceptions. In particular, Berberis thunbergii f. Aurea, whose leaves in the sun wilt. But for the most part barberry varieties with well-lit places play especially bright colors of leaves. Barberry seedlings can be grown by container method, but in two ways - with closed or bare roots. The plant grown in the first way can be planted in the land at any time during the growing season of .But with the second variant of development of the root system, it is recommended either to hurry and plant in early spring, before buds start to burst, or to wait and start planting in late autumn, after the foliage begins to crumble.
Barberry is essentially a noncompany plant and does not favor other species of vegetation nearby. And therefore plant these shrubs for gardening should be away from other plants, at a distance of not less than 1.5 meters. But with other bushes of his family barberry is getting along well. True, a hedge of barberry is planted according to a certain rule - if necessary, a dense green fence, bushes are planted four per running meter, if the hedge should be rare, then two. In case of a group landing, it is best to dig a trench at once, otherwise it is quite possible to limit the pit to 40x40x40 centimeters.
If the soil is acidic, ash is necessarily poured into it, otherwise it is useful to add humus and sod land, in moderate amounts - peat. Knowing that the winters at the landing site of barberry are severe, it is better to add superphosphate, the bush will grow stronger and will be more resistant.
Barberry easily can withstand even a prolonged drought, but does not tolerate excess moisture in the soil, especially stagnant - the roots will necessarily rot. Therefore, in the area where you intend to plant barberry, it is necessary to dig at least drainage ditches. From the second year after planting, the soil around the bushes of barberry should be loosened up with the addition of a complex feeding, and in spring the plant will be superfluous with nitrogen fertilizer, but limited, no more than 30 grams per bucket of water. Watering barberry is carried out once a week. From time to time, the plant needs sanitary pruning - getting rid of old and diseased branches. Dwarf varieties do not need a haircut at all. For winter, it is better to cover plants with lapnik and dry fallen leaves, which can be replaced with peat.
Barberry is not only beautiful, but also a useful plant, its honey is considered curative, and for years I like gourmet dishes because of a specific but very pleasant taste.
