Content
Whole barberry, planted in the garden, will decorate it for many years. The shrub remains decorative for 30-40 years. Caring for it is easy. It can be grown in the Moscow region.
Under natural conditions, it grows in Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. It is also planted in the Leningrad region, but the above-ground part often freezes.
Description of entire barberry
The shrub grows up to 4-9 m. The crown is formed from strong, branching shoots. They are angular, brown or purple in color. In the lower part of the bush the shoots are covered with 2-3 separate spines, in other parts the branches are simple and strong.
During flowering, the entire barberry bushes are strewn with axillary inflorescences. The length of the flower raceme is at least 5 cm. It is formed from 12-20 yellow flowers with obovate-shaped petals.
The surface of the leaves is leathery, oblong or obovate in shape. The length of the leaf blade is about 5 cm, the width is slightly less - 2 cm. The leaves of young shoots are characterized by a jagged edge.The summer color of the foliage of entire barberry is dark blue-green.
By autumn the fruits ripen on the bushes. Their shape is obovate or oblong. The skin is purple-red, there is a slight coating.
The length of the berries does not exceed 8 mm. The flowering period of entire barberry is April–June. Fruiting continues from September to October. The first berries appear on 8-year-old bushes.
Barberry whole-edged in landscape design
The shrub is used to decorate artificial and natural reservoirs. Barberry decorates the banks and protects against erosion and landslides. It is planted along highways and in park areas of cities.
In country houses, elegant, durable, hedges are grown from Berberis integerrima bushes. The height of the living fence reaches 2.5 m. It protects the area from dust and noise. The shrub tolerates pruning well. The crown can be given any shape. Barberry looks good in group plantings. Next to him they plant:
- spirea;
- Potentilla;
- viburnum;
- rose hip;
- Euonymus.
In group plantings, Berberis integerrima goes well with coniferous trees and other varieties of barberry:
- Thunberg;
- spring ordinary;
- Wilson.
Planting and care
Barberry seedlings with an open root system are planted in the garden in early spring, before active sap flow begins and the buds open. Containerized crops can be planted at any time from spring to autumn.
There are no special requirements for the site. The shrub is not afraid of wind, drafts, or partial shade. Bright lighting adds decorativeness to whole barberry. The color of the leaves is brighter from the sun.The soils are suitable alkaline and neutral. Acidic soils are limed a year before planting.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
A barberry seedling with an open root system is inspected. Damaged roots are cut out, treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, and the sections are sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.
Barberry purchased in a container does not require additional preparation. The day before transplanting, the soil needs to be moistened.
Landing rules
A pit (40 x 40 cm) for planting barberry is prepared 2-3 weeks before planting. For a hedge, dig a trench (width - 40 cm, depth - 40 cm). Fill them out in the following order:
- The first is the drainage layer (sand, broken brick);
- then pour in a soil mixture (garden soil, humus) with mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium nitrate).
Shrub seedlings, having straightened their roots, are placed in the center of the planting hole. Cover with fertile soil, compact the soil, form a tree trunk circle, and water abundantly. Each shoot is shortened, leaving 3 to 5 buds on them.
Watering and fertilizing
Young bushes of entire barberry are watered at the root once every 7 days. To reduce moisture evaporation, the tree trunk circle is covered with peat or old sawdust. The bush is fertilized for the first time after 2 years:
- May-June - root feeding with urea solution, add 20 g of fertilizer to a bucket (10 l) of water;
- During fruiting, barberry is fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers; 15 g of superphosphate and 10 g of any fertilizer containing potassium are taken per 10 liters of water.
The indicated norm is calculated for 1 barberry bush.
Trimming
In any variety of barberry, shoots are formed from root suckers. If there is no pruning, the bush loses its shape, spreads, and loses its decorative qualities.
In spring, bushes are pruned from March to April, in autumn - from September to October:
- remove all damaged branches;
- extra shoots that thicken the crown;
- part of the young shoots.
Anti-aging pruning of old bushes (10-12 years old) is planned for the fall. Beginning gardeners form a bush in 3 stages; in their work they adhere to the simplest scheme.
Barberry tolerates pruning well. It takes several years to form a crown of a certain geometric shape.
A beautiful hedge is formed from rectangular or trapezoidal shrubs.
Preparing for winter
In late autumn, the soil is cleared of leaves and other debris and loosened. Carry out the last watering. The soil is mulched with chernozem, peat, spruce branches (layer thickness no more than 12 cm). Make sure that the root collar is sprinkled.
Young seedlings planted in autumn are covered with covering material for the winter. Mature bushes in the Moscow region spend the winter without shelter. In Siberia and the Urals, bushes of any age are covered with lutrasil.
Reproduction
Berberis integerrima is propagated vegetatively (by cuttings, dividing the bush, layering) and by seeds. Dividing a whole barberry bush is difficult; the plant may die, so this method is rarely used in practice.
Beginners prefer to propagate entire barberry by layering. In spring, the soil in the tree trunk circle is loosened. Next to the annual, lignified shoot, a shallow trench is dug as it grows.Place the selected branch in it, pin it with a wire staple, and sprinkle it with earth mixed with humus. By autumn, roots will appear; a year later in the spring, the seedlings are ready to be transplanted to a permanent place in the garden.
Propagation by cuttings requires time and constant monitoring. Annual branches are cut 10-15 cm long. They are rooted in a mixture of peat and sand.
The seed method is simple. To propagate barberry, ripe berries are needed. The seeds are removed from them and washed in a manganese solution. It is better to plant seeds in autumn. In winter they will undergo natural stratification. In the spring, shoots will appear from them.
Diseases and pests
Whole barberry bushes rarely suffer from diseases. They are caused by unfavorable weather conditions. The stems and leaves are infected by the microsphere fungus, which causes powdery mildew. A white coating resembling flour appears on diseased leaves.
Without treatment, the bush may die from rust. Orange spots on the leaves are its first symptoms. Another disease that weakens the shrub, reduces its winter hardiness, is caused by various pathogens - this is spotting. Its symptoms:
- spots of arbitrary shape appear on the leaves;
- dried young shoots are noted.
In unfavorable years, barberry bushes are attacked by aphids. Special preparations are used to cure a diseased bush from infection and to destroy pests. During the summer, the bushes are sprayed with insecticides (fungicides) at least 3 times.
Conclusion
Whole barberry will decorate your garden plot and make the garden more picturesque. A hedge made of Berberis integerrima will purify the air and protect the yard from dust, noise, and prying eyes.
The video provides even more information on how to plant barberry in the fall:
