Berberis wilsoniae
Mrs Wilson's barberry
- Height × spread
- 1.3m × 1.5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This is a useful barberry that reaches just over 1m (3ft) in height. Its small leaves have rounded ends and are coloured sea green with grey on the underside. They are semi-evergreen or evergreen. The foliage is rigid and spiny. Pale yellow flowers appear in spring. In autumn, this unassuming little shrub surprises with masses of berries that start off beige and mature to coral red. They are a feast to the eye and precede the red tints the plant may then assume. It is recommended - and this seems to be the fate of Berberis - to cover a low bank. You could try tucking it into the shrubbery, or even herbaceous border where it will pass the seasons unnoticed until the fruit arrives.
- Flower colour
- Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Autumn foliage
- Red
- Stem colour
- Brown
- Fruit colour
- Red
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Round
- Height
- 1.3m
- Spread
- 1.5m
- Spread in 10 years
- 1.3m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Seaside garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam (normal), Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry and shady soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Structural, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Bee attraction, Bird attraction
- Deer
- May be browsed by deer, especially when young.
- Maintenance
- Easycare – low/no maintenance
- Hazards
- Yes, leaves & stems are prickly/thorny
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed young plants with slow release fertiliser
Spread a slow release fertiliser around the base of the plant to the edge of the foliage spread, so that it can feed the roots. It is helpful for this to be applied for several years.
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost until the plant becomes well established.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water during dry periods
For plants in the ground, when there has been little or no rain for a period of 7-10 days and the soil is dry, give it a deep watering and repeat weekly until there is a downpour of rain. Check plants in pots more frequently, especially in hot weather.
Spring-Summer - early-mid · Planting
Prune after flowering
When the plant has flowered, cut all the flowered shoots back to healthy buds that are lower on the stems. When the plant is established, take out a quarter of the oldest branches to the ground at this time.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Found in
More Berberis
Berberis
Barberry
Berberis 'Golden Dream'
Barberry
Berberis candidula
Whitish barberry, Paleleaf barberry
Berberis darwinii
Darwin's barberry
Berberis darwinii
Darwin's barberry
Berberis linearifolia 'Orange King'
Narrow-leaved berberis
Berberis microphylla 'Pygmaea'
Dwarf Magellan barberry
Berberis thunbergii
Japanese barberry, Thunberg's barberry