A beautiful ornamental shrub - barberry - will give your garden plot a magical and unique look from spring, when its yellow flowers bloom with a delicate aroma, and until late autumn, when the brushes of bright red fruits are amazingly combined with orange leaves. And if you add to this also high medicinal properties, then planting a bush of barberry is a resolved issue. Caring for this plant is simple, and the hedge is simply magnificent.
Plant description
The name of this original decorative bush comes from the Arabic beriberi, which means - sink. Petals of flowers really remind her. Differs in the branching, thorns and bark of a light brown color barberry plant. The dimensions of the bush can reach a height of 3.5 m. Rhizomes are lignified, creeping. Shoots with faces are straight, yellow in color, later they will turn gray-white. On shorter shoots from the buds, leaves appear up to 4 cm long, thin, elliptical or obovate. On longer shoots, three to five spines up to 2 cm long develop.
In the spring, in late April and early May, fragrant brushes from yellow flowers appear on the plant. Their number can reach up to 25 pieces. Towards the end of September, it bears fruit with bright red or purple fruits of an oblong shape. Barberry has seeds up to 7 mm long, narrowed and flattened in its upper part.
Distribution and ecology
Previously, barberry could be found only in Europe, Transcaucasia and Western Asia. He preferred a forest-steppe zone with adequate lighting and dry soil. It was possible to meet him in the mountains, at an altitude of up to 2 km. What does a barberry bush growing in the wild look like? The plant has a rather unsightly appearance. Today, due to the fact that a huge number of varieties is bred, the decorative bush of barberry can not be found except 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: oxyacanthin, iatroricin, palmatine, columbamine. The bark contains a lot of tannins and aromatic resins, and the leaves contain vitamin K. The ripened fruits contain carotenoids - lutein, flavoxanthin, xanthophyll, etc., as well as sugars, malic acid, and pectins.
Back in Ancient Russia, roots, branches and bark insisted on alcohol to stop the flow of blood from wounds and relieve inflammation. Barberry is an ideal antibiotic given by nature, which was used to treat various colds. The infusion of the fruits strengthened the immune system, supported the liver. And in ancient Rome it was believed that barberry brings happiness and good fortune, therefore it was protected in every way.
In modern official medicine, tincture of alcohol from the leaves is used in gynecology to stop uterine bleeding and inhibit inflammatory processes. Berberine treats the main problems of the liver and gall bladder. Water infusion of fruits is facilitated by attacks of malaria due to the strong diaphoretic property. With rheumatism, it relieves pain.
Barberry application
Berries are most widely used in cooking: juices and fruit drinks, preserves and jellies. And add the powder from the dried berries to the meat sauce, and you can’t drag your relatives by the ears from the plate. In Central Asia, pilaf is not cooked without barberry, and the peoples of the Caucasus add it to horseradish.
Thanks to the sour taste, barberry is able to replace vinegar. And unripe pickled fruits can perfectly replace capers. Tincture and decoction in veterinary medicine is used as a hemostatic in various wounds in animals.
Barberry and pregnancy
Unfortunately, in an interesting situation, you should completely abandon the consumption of both the berries themselves and various tinctures. Due to the alkaloids contained in the plant, a miscarriage is possible. Also, pregnant women 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 to, then eat for health. Just do not forget that everything should be in moderation.
How and where to plant barberry
Planting a bush of barberry begins with a choice of 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. The soil requirements of the barberry bush are as follows: loams or well-dried soils, because the plant does not like waterlogging.
The barberry bush is planted in the place allotted to it for growth in the spring, before the buds begin to bloom, but it can also be planted in the fall, when the leaves begin to show off actively. Before planting 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 old seedlings. If you plan to make a hedge, then you need to plant bushes in a trench. If on your site the soil is acidic, such as peat, then under the bushes you need to add wood ash 200 g, lime or dolomite flour - 300-400 g. Of the fertilizers you need only 100 g of superphosphate.
How to care for a barberry bush
If you planted barberry bushes, caring for them will be easy. If the landing site was initially chosen 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 remove weeds.
In spring, at the beginning of the season or immediately after flowering, barberry should be cut. Bush cutting is carried out annually. This action is directed to the formation of a lush crown and the removal of weak and diseased shoots. And do not forget during the care of the sharp barberry spikes. The next year after planting in the spring, be sure to feed your barberry with nitrogen fertilizer. The size of the bush and its lush flowering will be grateful to you for such care. It is necessary to repeat top dressing every three years.
The main methods of propagation of barberry
There are four main ways to propagate barberries in your area: dividing the bush, planting layering, summer cuttings and seeds.
- Seeds should be sown with seeds in the fall. Squeeze freshly picked fruits, rinse with running water and dry. They need to be placed to a depth of not more than one centimeter. In this case, the soil should be loose, and the planting site should be warmed up well by the sun. By the summer, the plant will delight you with friendly shoots. But it is better to transplant a barberry bush in a year.
- The plant propagates easily with the help of summer cuttings. Just put the right amount in the soil in June, and after 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 dug out so as not to damage the root system, and cut into several parts. If the roots are very thick, they are simply cut along and the resulting parts are planted in new holes, moisturizing them abundantly before planting.
- Layers are made in spring from young and healthy branches. Grooves rummage around the bush, into which selected branches fit. There they are fixed and sprinkled with earth so that only one top remains outside. All season layering is well watered, and in the fall you will have bushes ready for planting.
Pests and diseases
Although the decorative bush of barberry is quite resistant to both fungal diseases and pests, it is also susceptible to them. Of the fungal infections, anthracnose and powdery mildew are most often found. In the first case, the disease manifests itself as round brown spots on the leaves, in the second - white, as if sprinkled with flour, plaque on branches, leaves and flowers. Fungal infection is the first sign of excess water. Fungicides are used for treatment, and the affected parts that need to be burned are trimmed.
Barberry is a plant that is an intermediate host of such a pest of agriculture as a rust fungus that affects cereals. That is why its cultivation near rye and wheat fields is unacceptable. The only exception is Tunberg barberry, which is not susceptible to rust infection. With a disease on the leaves, spots of orange are visible with pads on the underside, in which a huge amount of spores mature. They apply to cereals, both wild and cultivated, using the wind.
Another disease is caused by a Fusarium fungus. Infection occurs through roots that rot, and the fungus rises along the branches along the vessels, causing the bush to wilt. If you cut the branch, then you can see the rings of vessels of brown color.
Of the insects, the most common pest is barberry aphid. Its presence can be seen on shriveled and dried leaves. You can get rid of aphids using a solution of laundry soap (300 g per bucket of water). A flower moth caterpillar eats berries. If they appear, treat the barberry with Chlorophos or Decis.
The most common types of barberry
Berberis vulgaris, or ordinary barberry, whose height can reach two or more meters, is very unpretentious in care. The leaves are dark green and the flowers are brilliant yellow. The fruits are quite edible, juicy, with a sour taste, painted in bright red color.
If your region has severe frosts, then this view is for you. It tolerates frosts and survives drought well. It can be propagated by seeds, dividing the bush and cuttings. Need a hedge so that no one goes through? Barberry ordinary will help with 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.
- Aureomarginate - a plant bordered by a golden line.
- Albovariegata with variegated leaves.
When propagating the original varieties, it should be borne in mind that when planting seeds only part of the plants will retain their varietal characteristics.
Berberis canadensis, or Canadian barberry, as the name implies, came from North America. Differs from the European counterpart in more sprawling. Resistant to frost and drought. It is mainly used for landscaping on the American continent, so it is extremely rare in Russia.
Berberis thunbergii, or Thunberg barberry, originally from China and Japan. This is a small shrub up to a meter high, but in diameter can reach one and a half meters. The shoots are covered with small spines very densely. Reddish-yellow flowers are collected in 2-4 pieces in small inflorescences. But the berries are unsuitable for food because of their bitter taste, although the birds eat them with great pleasure.
Unlike European and American counterparts, Thunberg's barberry practically does not suffer from fungal diseases, including rust. It is easy to propagate it both by seeds and by dividing the bush; cuttings also pass easily. This species has more than 50 varieties that differ in the original color of the leaves, their shape and size. If you meet an unusually colored barberry bush, a photo of which will interest you, most likely this is Tunberg.
Berberis x ottawiensis, or Ottawa barberry, is a hybrid obtained by crossing red barberry and Thunberg. The main difference is the dark purple leaves of the obovate shape. When autumn comes, they turn a deep red. Beautiful brushes from yellow with a reddish tint of flowers, which are collected in 8-10 pieces, bloom in late May. From its "parents" the plant acquired all the best - the beauty of color, unpretentiousness and immunity to fungal diseases.
Berberis koreana, or Korean barberry, whose height of the bush reaches two meters, has large obovate leaves, leathery to the touch. In the fall they turn purple-red. The plant is native to 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 can its tops freeze. But he will not like the thaw, during this period the humidity is very high for him, and this plant, as you know, is very susceptible to rust.
Berberis integerrima, or whole barberry, came to our personal plots from Central Asia, where it grows at an altitude of up to 2500 meters above sea level. The height of the bush can reach two and a half meters. The thorns are small, one and a half centimeters long, and the leaves with a solid edge are painted in a grayish-green tone. Up to 20 yellow flowers can be collected in inflorescences, and the fruits are maroon with a bluish tinge. He does not like acidic soil, an all-extreme bush of barberry. Landing and caring for it are quite simple. Adult plants survive even the harshest winter perfectly, but young ones can freeze, but they easily tolerate pruning and grow quickly.
Berberis sphaerocarpa, or spherical barberry (also referred to as the same-legged), came to us in personal plots from the mountains of Central Asia. The shrub can reach 2.5 meters in height, very sprawling, with gray-green leaves finely serrated on the edge. Collected in 5-10 inflorescence flowers are very fragrant. The fruit with a bluish bloom is painted in dark blue.
The population of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan constantly use berries in cooking, add to kebab sauce and shurpa. Fruits are an excellent means of combating scurvy, as they are very rich in ascorbic acid.
This species is very unpretentious in care, tolerates even extreme heat and long drought. It tolerates frosty winters, but young shoots can suffer, so it is better to cover them. But excessive moisture can lead to the disease of barberry, it is especially susceptible to rust. Plant it in a place that is not blown by through winds, and the soil is dry and not acidic, and you will enjoy delicious fruits and beautiful appearance. Propagated best by cuttings and seeds.
Berberis nummularia, or moneto barberry, came to us from the steppes of Central and North Asia. The bush is very branched up to 2 meters high. The branches of reddish color are covered with very large spines up to 3 cm long. The leaves of bluish-green color are very rigid, whole-edge, oblong-elliptical in shape. Large flowers of bright yellow color are collected in a brush. Berries of an oval form in a ripe form of bright red color. Until 3-4 years of age, barberry is prone to frostbite, after which it is restored for a long time. He does not like very moist soil, as he is very susceptible to fungal diseases. But the drought, even a strong and prolonged, is not afraid. The soil he needs is light, not acidic.
Amur barberry hails from the Far East. In the wild, prefers to settle on the river coast and forest edges. Outwardly, Amur barberry is not much different from ordinary barberry, the height of which can reach 3.5 m. Large jagged leaves of glossy green in the fall become either yellow or purple.