As a privacy screen, the barberry keeps prying eyes away, but is still a real eye-catcher. We show how to plant a barberry hedge.
Its sharp thorns keep unwanted visitors at bay and because of its low maintenance and location requirements, the barberry is perfect as a hedge plant. Only pruning can become a prickly affair - but the barberry rewards with robustness and bright flowers that magically attract insects.
Suitable barberry species for hedges
The barberry makes an excellent flowering hedge and shines with the fact that it can adapt well to urban climates, drought or even heat. In addition, it is hardy, tolerates pruning without any problems and also protects against uninvited guests with its sharp thorns.
Barberries are an extremely species-rich genus, and there is sure to be a suitable plant for every garden. While the barberry comes from very different parts of the world, the common barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is native to us. A hedge of native wild shrubs is not only suitable as a privacy screen, but also offers a perfectly suitable range of food, hiding places and breeding opportunities for birds, small mammals and insects. Unfortunately, this is only the case to a limited extent with exotic hedge plants such as the Thuja (Thuja). With a native shrub you can make an important contribution to nature conservation in your garden. The flowers of the common barberry, for example, are very popular with bees and bumblebees, blackbirds and hawfinches also find a tasty snack in their fruits.
But other barberry species also feel at home in our gardens and can be planted as a hedge. These include, for example, the blood barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Antropurpurea'), which is perfect as a large hedge, or the small blood barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Antropurpurea Nana') for lower hedges. Both captivate with red-colored leaves from spring, which shine in even brighter colors in autumn. If you don't want to do without the leaves of your barberry even in winter, it is suitablethe large-leaved barberry (Berberis julianae) acts as a wide privacy screen that grows up to three meters high and protects you from all prying eyes. Evergreen hedges are also formed by Barberry Telstar (Berberis frikartii 'Telstar') and Barberry Amstelveen (Berberis frikartii 'Amstelveen').
Suitable types and varieties for your barberry hedge:
| Name | Botanical Name | Growth | Leaf Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Barberry | Berberis vulgaris | 2 - 3 m | Fresh Green |
| Bloodbarberry | Berberis thunbergii 'Antropurpurea' | 2 - 3 m | Brown purple |
| Small Bloodbarberry | Berberis Berberis thunbergii 'Antropurpurea Nana' | 30 - 50 cm | Dark Red |
| Large-leaved Barberry | Berberis julianae | 2 - 3 m | Dark Green |
| Barberry Telstar | Berberis frikartii 'Telstar' | 1 - 1.5m | Dark Green |
| Kugelberitze Amstelveen | Berberis frikartii 'Amstelveen' | 60 cm - 1 m | Dark Green |
Planting a barberry hedge: You should pay attention to this
Since the barberry can make do with a wide variety of locations, you are hardly restricted when choosing where to place your hedge. The wood does not tolerate only completely shady locations or waterlogging. In addition, evergreen species prefer partial shade, while deciduous species can also stand in the sun without any problems. Once you have chosen the location of your choice, it makes sense to first stretch a cord to dig the planting holes so that the hedge is nice and straight later. The planting hole itself should be 1.5 times the size of the root ball. In the case of nutrient-poor or very heavy or light soil, it is also worth enriching the excavated soil with compost or fertilizer to give the young shrub the best possible start. Another important aspect of replanting is adequate water supply. The shrub is therefore heavily watered with water when it is planted, and it is important to water it regularly after planting until the shrub has properly established itself. When planting in autumn, steady rainfall usually does the trickby itself, but should be watered regularly as needed for a month during dry periods. In dry locations, you can also create a mulch layer of leaves, grass clippings or bark mulch. This keeps moisture in the soil better because the mulch layer reduces evaporation.
In principle, you canplants all year round, but it depends on whether you bought container goods or root balls. Container ware can be planted all year round, while spring or autumn are the ideal periods for bale ware. With containerized crops, it is also important to lightly prick the roots before planting, as this encourages branching. Don't forget to wear sturdy gardening gloves when planting, otherwise you could easily be injured by the sharp thorns.
Tip: Remove unwanted plants in the immediate vicinity before planting out. If they grow into the thorny bush, removing them can be a prickly affair.
Care for the barberry hedge: Special features in the care
Since the thorny shrub is a fairly undemanding plant, care can be summarized in a few lines. If regular watering is still essential immediately after replanting, the shrub only needs to be watered later during long-lasting dry phases. For the perfect supply of nutrients, it is advisable to work in a small dose of compost in spring or, above all, an organic fertilizer such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer. This provides your ornamental shrub with all the important nutrients in the long term - and without any animal ingredients such as slaughterhouse waste or horn meal.
How often you have to cut your hedge depends on whether you prefer a cut hedge or a hedge that is close to nature. Near-natural hedges offer a higher ecological value and only need to be rejuvenated every two to three years. Old and disturbing branches are cut back to ground level. Cut hedges are trimmed once or twice a year to keep their shape. The pruning takes place here between October and March. It is important to respect this period in order not to disturb breeding animals, for example.
Tip: Make sure the hedge tapers a few centimeters from the base to the crown. This minimal trapezoid shapeprotects them from wind and snow pressure, for example.