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Barberry Flamingo grows well in urban environments. This is an unpretentious and hardy plant. The shrub is resistant to frost and drought. It is actively used in landscape design. The bush owes its high decorativeness to dark purple leaves with an openwork pattern of silver and pink specks.
Description of Flamingo barberry
Flamingo is a new variegated variety. It is part of the large group of Thunberg barberries, the most popular among professionals and amateur gardeners. The height of an adult bush reaches 1.5 m in height. The compact, dense crown is formed by erect salmon-colored shoots. Its width does not exceed 1.5 m. The branches are covered with thorns.
The surface of the small, beautiful, dark purple leaves is covered with an elegant pattern of pink and silver spots. The Thunberg Flamingo barberry blooms in May. The flowers are rather inconspicuous. They are small in size, yellow, collected in inflorescences. The period of abundant flowering lasts 1-2 weeks.
The fruits are red, oblong in shape, ripen in early to mid-autumn. They can hang on bushes until spring.Their taste is bitter due to the high concentration of alkaloids.
Berberis thunbergii Flamingo is a winter-hardy shrub. It can be grown in climate zone 4. The roots and above-ground parts of an adult bush can withstand frosts down to -35 °C. Young plants (1-3 years old) are covered for the winter.
Flamingo is a fast-growing variety of Thunberg barberry. The growth of shoots per season is 20-30 cm. The bushes tolerate formative pruning well. The advantages of the variety include resistance to drought.
Barberry Flamingo in landscape design
The main direction of use in landscape design:
- hedge;
- group and single plantings;
- rocky gardens;
- alpine slides.
The photo of the Thunberg Flamingo barberry shows how harmoniously it combines with coniferous plants. Its foliage stands out as a bright accent against the background:
- thuja (Smaragd, Yellow Ribon, Golden Globe);
- juniper (Hibernika. Gold Cone, Suecica);
- oils (Nana, Alberta Globe. Conica).
The crown of the Thunberg Flamingo barberry can be easily given any shape (ball, prism, cube). Dark purple leaves look good against the background of golden forms. A relatively low, compact shrub is planted along the banks of reservoirs, in the center and along the edges of Japanese rock gardens. They decorate alpine slides and flower beds with perennials.
Traditionally, with the help of Thunberg barberry bushes, Flamingos form neat hedges. They are functional and decorative.
Berberis thunbergii Flamingo is planted alone on the lawn, its purple leaves stand out brightly against the emerald carpet.
Planting and caring for barberry Thunberg Flamingo
Flamingo is decorative with its variegated foliage.The shrub is suitable for well-lit areas of the garden. This is an unpretentious plant that responds to good care. Planting work is carried out in the spring from late March to mid-April or in the fall from September 15 to October 15.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Gardening centers have a large selection of Thunberg barberry seedlings. The Flamingo variety is new, but you can purchase it without any problems. Buying the plant in a container makes planting easier. The closed root system is not damaged during transportation. The seedling quickly takes root.
Before planting, barberries with an open root system are placed in a bucket of water overnight. All shoots are shortened by 5 buds.
Landing rules
The description of any variety of Thunberg barberries speaks of the unpretentiousness of the bush. Flamingos are no exception. However, it is better to choose a place for planting that is illuminated or in openwork partial shade. Lack of light makes the color of the leaves less bright.
Seedlings grow best in neutral soil. Acidic soil is deoxidized a year before planting with lime or ash during planting. The root system of Barberry Thunberg Flamingo does not tolerate stagnant water. The drainage layer in the planting hole eliminates this.
Saplings with an open root system are planted in early spring. Barberry takes root in a container at any time, even in summer. In group plantings, holes with a diameter of 50 cm and a depth of 35 cm are dug from each other at a distance of 1.5-2 m. For a hedge, a trench is prepared, seedlings are placed every 50 cm.
The roots are covered with a mixture of garden soil, ash, and humus. After watering, the soil is mulched with organic materials (compost, humus, bark, peat). To make the Thunberg Flamingo barberry take root faster, the shoots are shortened, leaving 3 to 5 buds.
Watering and fertilizing
In regions where precipitation falls regularly, the shrub may not need to be watered. If it rains rarely, the bushes are watered once every 7-10 days. To reduce moisture evaporation, the soil around the barberry is mulched.
Feeding begins from the 2nd year of life. At the beginning of the growing season, during flowering, root feeding is carried out with fertilizers containing nitrogen. 30 g of urea is dissolved in a bucket of water. At the height of summer (July, August), complex mineral fertilizer “Kemira Universal” is applied to the Flamingo barberry.
In the fall, granules are added under each bush:
- superphosphate (15 g);
- potassium nitrate (10 g).
Trimming
The Thunberg Flamingo barberry tolerates a haircut very well. It is necessary to maintain the attractive appearance of the bush. There are 3 types of pruning:
- sanitary;
- formative;
- rejuvenating.
Event type | Work period | Description of work |
Sanitary pruning | Spring, before the buds open | Cut out all shoots damaged by bad weather, disease, pests |
Autumn | ||
Formative pruning | Spring, immediately after sanitary cleaning of the bushes | Cut out branches growing close to the ground and all unnecessary shoots that thicken the crown |
Summer (early June) | With the help of a haircut, they maintain the required shape of the bush | |
Summer (early August) | ||
Anti-aging pruning | Spring | The length of young shoots is reduced by ⅔, old branches are cut out |
Small geometric shapes in the form of a cube, pyramid, cone are formed from 1-2 bushes. To obtain sculptures of large volume, 5-9 bushes are planted.
The first anti-aging pruning is carried out on an 8-year-old bush. It stimulates the growth of new shoots.
Preparing for winter
Mature bushes do not need shelter.When preparing for winter, it is enough to clean the tree trunk, add superphosphate and potassium nitrate to the soil, and carry out abundant water-replenishing watering.
The winter hardiness of young Flamingo barberry bushes is low. During the first 3 years they must be protected from frost. Cover the above-ground part and root zone of the bush. Various covering materials are used:
- lutrasil;
- burlap;
- spruce branches
Lutrasil and burlap are secured with twine so that the wind does not tear it off. In winter, barberry bushes are covered with snow. With the arrival of warmer weather, the shelter is dismantled so that the shoots of the bush do not dry out.
Reproduction
Barberry Flamingo can be propagated by seeds that ripen in the fall. They are sown before winter on a prepared bed. Make grooves 3 cm deep, placing them at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.
The seeds are first cleared of pulp, washed, and briefly soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Seeds are placed in 5 cm increments and covered with garden soil mixed with humus. In spring, shoots appear. Before being transplanted into the garden, Flamingo seedlings grow in the garden bed for 2 years.
If an adult plant needs to be transplanted to a new place, then barberry is propagated by dividing the bush. They dig it up, divide the rhizome, leaving several shoots in each division. Planting holes are prepared in advance. The survival rate with this method of reproduction is not 100%.
It is easier to propagate Flamingo barberry using lignified cuttings. Doing this in the spring:
- Choose an annual branch.
- Take the middle part from it (5 cm).
- Leave 3-4 buds.
- For rooting, a low greenhouse is organized.
- Fill it with fertile soil.
- The top layer is river sand.
- Barberry cuttings are dipped in a root formation stimulator and planted in a greenhouse at an angle to the ground according to a 5 cm x 15 cm pattern.
- The soil is moistened and the greenhouse is covered with film (glass).
The appearance of leaves indicates that the cutting has taken root. After a year it can be transplanted into the garden.
Layering is an even simpler option for propagating Flamingo barberry. Strong annual shoots are suitable for it. In spring they are bent to the ground. They deepen it a little. They are pinned in several places with staples made of thick wire. Cover with soil. In autumn, roots form on the branch. Barberry seedlings are separated from the mother bush the following spring.
Diseases and pests
The bush has enemies among insects. Several garden pests are considered dangerous to Flamingo barberry:
- aphids;
- leaf roller;
- sawfly;
- flower moth.
Fight aphids on barberry leaves with a soap solution. It is prepared from water (10 l) and laundry soap shavings (300 g). A 2% solution of “Fitoverma” helps against insects. Other pests are destroyed using Chlorophos. For spraying use a 3% solution.
Flamingo bushes are rare, but can suffer from fungal diseases. One of them is powdery mildew, that is, a white coating on the leaves. You can cope with it using a solution of 1% colloidal sulfur. If the leaves of the barberry become covered with dark spots, this means that the bush needs to be treated for spotting.
They fight it with copper oxychloride. 30 g of product are dissolved in 10 liters of water. Barberry Flamingo is processed twice. Before buds appear and after flowering. Cracks and growths on shoots are symptoms of bacteriosis. The affected barberry branches are cut out and destroyed, and the bush is treated with Bordeaux mixture.
Conclusion
Barberry Flamingo will decorate the garden with variegated, bright foliage all season long.With its help you can create compositions that are exquisite in color and shape. A barberry hedge will decorate the landscape and protect from uninvited guests.
You can learn about the advantages and varietal diversity of Thunberg barberry from the video:
