Red barberry (Berberis thunbergii) adds a touch of color to the garden. Also called Japanese barberry, this shrub comes in a variety of foliage colors, ranging from yellow to maroon. Varieties of crimson barberry are often called red Japanese barberry, followed with a cultivar name. Red barberry thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.

Fall Planting

Fall is the ideal time to plant red barberry and other shrubs in mild Mediterranean-type climates. Taking advantage of this damp soil and rainy weather, fall planting means easy digging and minimal watering after the shrubs are in the ground. The mild weather makes planting and transplanting less stressful to new plants, raising the possibility of success. Together with the cool, damp season beforehand, fall-planted red barberry plants may get a powerful root system established prior to the spring growing season. Fall planting also works in cold climates as long as you receive the red barberry shrubs in the ground prior to the first hard freeze.

Winter or Early Spring Planting

In USDA zones 7 and warmer, places where the ground doesn’t freeze, or freezes only temporarily, you can plant barberry any time in winter or early spring. Like fall, winter and early spring planting takes advantage of this damp soil and natural mud. In cold climates where the ground freezes, wait till spring to plant.

Summer Planting

Sticking to fall to plant doesn’t always mesh with your gardening plans. You can plant red barberry shrubs in late spring through late summer. A trendy evening or morning or an overcast day is ideal for planting in summertime. Excess heat and sun right after putting can pressure a brand new red barberry. Keeping the dirt constantly moist after planting is vital. Newly planted shrubs have limited root systems and are particularly vulnerable to drying out.

Plant Characteristics

Red barberry shrubs develop 2 to 8 feet tall with 4- to 6-foot spread. This deciduous tree contains showy leaves that intensify in the fall. It works as a edge, ground cover or as an ornamental shrub. With red barbarry and other varieties of Japanese barbarry it’s about the foliage rather than the flowers. A couple red cultivars to try include “Crimson Pygmy” growing just 2 feet tall, the purple foliage “Atropurpurea Erecta” cultivar or the showy “Atropurpurea Redbird” variety.

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