Foundation Evergreen Barberry (Berberis Replicata) – 1 Gallon Pot

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-8b  Find Your Zone 

Plant Type:  Evergreen Flowering Shrub

Flower Color:  Yellow

Flower Size:  Small 

Flowering Period:  Spring

Flower Type:  Single

Fragrant Flowers:  Yes

Foliage Color:  Burgundy, Dark Green, Orange-Red in Fall

Fragrant Foliage:  No

Berries:  Yes

Berry Color:  Yellow to Red to Black

Attracts:  Visual Attention

Resistances:  Deer, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Insect

If your looking for an impenetrable hedge, the Foundation Evergreen Barberry is a tough-as-nails, no-maintenance flowering evergreen shrub that is resistant to drought, insects and disease, and its typical barberry thorniness will stop unwanted creatures in their tracks. Deer won’t touch it. It can reach a height of 5 to 6 feet with arching branches clad with lanceolate evergreen leaves to an inch long. The leaf margins are replicate (turned backward) as indicated by the specific epithet. It responds well to shearing for size control or shaping purposes. In spring it produces masses of fragrant yellow flowers with showy, glossy, brilliant burgundy-red new leaves following the bloom. Oblong yellow berries form after flowering in summer turning to red and finally to purple-black by fall. Excellent for the Xeriscape!

Growing to 5 to 6 feet tall and equally as wide, Foundation Barberry is useful as an accent specimen in smaller garden spaces and foundation plantings or in groupings or as a natural or clipped hedge in sunny to partially shaded landscape borders. It’s high drought tolerance makes it an ideal choice for the Xeriscape (low water needs) garden. 

Foundation Barberry combines well with sedums, junipers, ornamental grasses, yucca, and other drought tolerant plants that thrive in sun and well-drained soil.

Spacing Recommendations:  4′ for solid hedges, 9’+ for space between plants

Foundation Barberry is exceptionally easy to grow in a well-drained soil and full sun to part shade. As with so many other ornamental landscape shrubs, barberry does not like a constantly soggy or wet soil. We’ve seen no insect or disease problems. Established plants are very drought tolerant, requiring supplemental irrigation only during prolonged periods of summer drought. No pruning is necessary however responds well to it for size control or shaping purposes.