Other Names:  Compact Coral Barberry

Description:

An attractive, compact shrub for the garden with tiny green leaves smothered in coral colored buds that open to yellow-orange flowers in spring; produces silver frosted blue-black berries in fall; tolerates most soil types

Ornamental Features

Dwarf Coral Hedge Barberry is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. The fruits are showy black drupes carried in abundance from early to late fall. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges red in spring. The tiny narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features tiny clusters of orange flowers hanging below the branches in mid spring.

Landscape Attributes

Dwarf Coral Hedge Barberry is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spiny

Dwarf Coral Hedge Barberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Dwarf Coral Hedge Barberry will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Dwarf Coral Hedge Barberry makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.