Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea

Purple Barberry hedge (Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea) description

The Purple Japanese Berberis produces soft oval foliage that is a rich, dark purple. Where the leaves are caught in bright sunlight a purplish-red glow can be admired. In the spring and summer yellow flowers are borne which stand out wonderfully against the velvet-like purple foliage. The flowers of Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea are closely followed by deep orange, glossy berries that hang like teardrops on the undersides of arching branches. As the season progresses these orange berries turn scarlet red and are a welcome treat for wildlife. The foliage develops a fiery display of orange and red before falling to leave nothing but the bare branches and their harsh thorns until the bright purple-red new foliage of the next spring.

Best uses for Purple Berberis hedges

A perfect intruder deterrent, Purple Berberis is small enough to be kept beneath a window or used as an alternative to Box for path edging (we've seen this at Prince Charles' country house Highgrove). Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea will tolerate full shade, though autumn colour, flowering and foliage colour will be better in the sun or partial shade. This prickly plant is suited to coastal and exposed sites and is happy in any soil that isn't wet. Purple Japanese Barberry makes colourful garden hedging and is often used for landscape gardening. It is ideal when used as a dark foil for other plants and can be left to bush and arch naturally or, kept trimmed, looks neat and formal.

Combine Purple Barberry plants with

Consider growing with Green Berberis (Berberis thunbergii) for a colour mix, or combine with Barberry Rose Glow (Berberis thun. 'Rose Glow') which has mottled purple, pink and cream variegated foliage. Of course, Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea looks stunning grown alone. If a mix of shrubs for hedging is your preference, then check out our Mixed Tapestry Hedging packs.

Growth rate of Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea

Expect 10-15cm a year from this Purple Berberis and final height of up to 1m.

Care advice for Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea hedging

To keep this Purple Berberis in good nick trim after flowering. Please view the Best 4 Hedging Care and Planting instructions in our Advice section.

Recommended planting density for Purple Japanese barberry hedge plants

For information on planting density please see the product table above. In the 'No. Per Metre' column, you will find our recommended plant density for each individual plant species and root type.

For the most part, our Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea hedge plants are grown here in the UK by our horticultural experts with decades of growing experience. Now and again we buy Purple Japanese Barberry from carefully chosen horticultural authorities outside of the United Kingdom, where we are positive that quality can't be beaten. At Best4hedging we always do our utmost to ensure that your plants arrive in the freshest condition and that they are the finest quality, whilst maintaining our excellent prices, so you can buy Berberis hedging plants online with total assurance of their quality and the excellent service that we will provide you with.

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