Berberis thunbergii 'Red Chief'

Synonyms: Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea 'Red Chief', Berberis thunbergii 'Red Chief', Japanese Barberry 'Red Chief'

Berberis thunbergii 'Red Chief' – a cultivar of Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea. It received the RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit) in 1993.

It is a deciduous shrub with a well-branched crown. It reaches 1.5–2 m in height and about 2 m in width. Main branches grow vertically, lateral ones arch outward. Shoots are angled, light red, covered with small solitary spines up to 1 cm long. Bark gray-brown, furrowed.

Leaves alternate, from lanceolate to obovate, up to 3.5 cm long and up to 1–1.5 cm wide; in spring dark red, later becoming red-brown depending on light, and in autumn acquiring an orange tint.

Blooms in May. Flowers small, yellow-red, gathered in few-flowered short racemes, 2–5 in a cluster. They have a pleasant fragrance.

Fruits are coral-red shiny berries of an elliptical shape, persist on the shrubs for a long time, inedible, ripen in September-October. Fruiting is not abundant.

Hardiness zone: 6a (-15°C).

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

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

Care: care consists of shallow loosening of the root circle and mulching. Watering is recommended at least once a week with 2–3 buckets per plant. In spring, one year after planting, nitrogen-containing fertilizers can be applied. Subsequently, nitrogen top-dressing is done no earlier than every 3–4 years. In the first 2–3 years it needs covering with conifer boughs.

Pruning: tolerates cutting well.

Propagation: by cuttings, division of the bush, root suckers.

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

Pests: barberry aphid, barberry sawfly, barberry fruit moth, leaf feeders.

Uses: used for creating clipped and informal hedges and borders, espaliers, as well as compositions, in solitary and group plantings, in rock gardens.