Gagnepain Barberry Klugowski

Synonyms: Berberis gagnepainii var. lanceifolia 'Klugowski' C.K. Schneid., Berberis gagnepainii lanceifolia Klugowski, Барбарис 'Клуговски', Berberis ´Klugowskiana´, Berberis hybrida ´ Klugowski´

Gagnepain Barberry Klugowski – a form of Gagnepain barberry.

It is an evergreen shrub with a slightly flattened, broad globular and well-branched dense crown. Reaches 2 m in height. Grows slowly, annual increase in height 5-20 cm. Bark yellowish-green, branches covered with sharp three-part spines up to 2 cm long.

The root system is shallow, with several strong main roots and numerous fine ones.

Leaves evergreen, alternate, narrow-lanceolate, 5-8 cm long, with spiny wavy margins, dark green above, bluish-green below, turning purplish-red in autumn.

Flowers in May-June. Flowers small, yellow, solitary or grouped in small numbers.

Fruits oblong-ovoid berries blue-black in color, covered with a pale bluish bloom, inedible.

Hardiness zone: 6a (-23°C).

Location: light-loving; with insufficient light may lose leaf coloration. Heat-tolerant, winter-hardy, drought- and wind-resistant, relatively smoke-tolerant. Does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging. Undemanding to soil, but prefers fertile, moderately moist, acidic or slightly alkaline soil. Tolerates urban conditions well, hardy.

Planting: planting is best carried out in spring or autumn. If the pH is above 7, it is recommended to lime the soil. Planting mixture: peat, sod soil, humus in the ratio 1:1:1, 400 g of slaked lime (if pH>7) and 200 g of wood ash. Planting hole dimensions: 40x40 cm. For single planting, the spacing between plants should be 1.5-2 m. To create a hedge, prepare a trench and place bushes at a rate of 2 plants per 1 linear meter.

Care: care consists of shallow loosening of the root circles and mulching. Watering is recommended no less than once a week with 2-3 buckets per plant. In spring, one year after planting, nitrogen-containing fertilizers can be applied. Subsequently, nitrogen feeding is carried out no earlier than every 3-4 years. In the first 2-3 years it needs covering with conifer branches.

Pruning: tolerates trimming well.

Propagation: by cuttings, dividing the bush, root suckers.

Diseases: bacterial canker, powdery mildew, leaf spot. Resistant to rust fungus.

Pests: barberry aphid, barberry sawfly, barberry fruit moth, leaf-eating insects.

Uses: used to create low hedges, for cemetery plantings, for rock gardens. Looks good in solitary plantings, in groups, to protect flower beds from birds, as a container plant, on roofs.