Thunberg's barberry 'Dart's Red Lady'

Synonyms: Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea 'Dart's Red Lady'

Thunberg's barberry 'Dart's Red Lady' – a cultivar of Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea. It received the RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit) in 2009.

It is a deciduous shrub with a spreading, rounded or cushion-shaped crown. It reaches 0.8-1 m in height and width. Growth rate is medium, annual increase up to 10 cm. Shoots numerous, red-brown, covered with short, stiff spines. Bark grey-brown.

Leaves graceful, small, obovate in shape, brown, red or raspberry-red in color, most intensely colored when unfolding. In autumn they take on orange-red tones.

Blooms in May. Flowers numerous, solitary or grouped 2-5 together in clusters, reddish outside and yellow inside, fragrant.

Fruits abundantly; fruits oblong, coral-red, glossy, not edible. They ripen in September-October and remain on the branches for a long time.

Hardiness zone: 5a - 8b (-26°C).

Location/exposure: sun-loving, but can tolerate light partial shade. Heat-tolerant, winter-hardy, drought- and wind-resistant, relatively tolerant to smoke. Does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging. Not demanding about soil, but prefers fertile, moderately moist, acidic or slightly alkaline (pH = 4.5 – 7). Tolerates urban conditions well, hardy.

Planting: planting is best done in spring or autumn. If soil acidity is above pH 7, liming the soil is recommended. Planting mix: peat, topsoil, humus in a ratio of 1:1:1, 400 g hydrated lime (if pH>7) and 200 g wood ash. Planting hole dimensions: 40x40 cm. For solitary planting, spacing between plants should be 1.5-2 m. For creating a hedge, prepare a trench and place plants at a rate of 2 shrubs per linear meter.

Care: care consists of shallow loosening of the root circle and mulching. Watering is recommended at least once a week, 2-3 buckets per plant. In spring, one year after planting, nitrogen-containing fertilizers can be applied. Subsequently, nitrogen feeding should be carried out no sooner than every 3-4 years. In the first 2-3 years needs to be covered with conifer boughs.

Pruning: tolerates trimming well.

Propagation: by cuttings, division of 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 as a specimen plant, in group plantings, in hedges, and in compositions.