Barberry - planting and care, the use of this beautiful plant for garden design is the topic of our conversation. Barberry ordinary - ornamental deciduous shrub, which was grown in Ancient Rome, Greece, the monasteries of Tibet, Ancient Russia. We appreciated it not so much for its high decoration, as for the most valuable healing properties of the berries. In our time, the barberry has become a decorative and "caramel" plant.
- Barberry - useful properties
- Shrub barberry in the garden
- Care and planting barberry
Why - caramel? If we lived in the Amazon jungle, we could become the owners of such wonderful plants as the dairy, cabbage or chocolate tree. And if fate had abandoned us in the African savanna, we would have successfully grown a bottle, bread or melon tree, while also admiring blooming flowers on a tulip.
However, having a wonderful and cozy corner of native nature in our country house or garden plot, we can well afford to grow an equally exotic “caramel tree”.This is how people call the barberry known to everyone, reminding us of carefree childhood times, when we enjoyed savoring fragrant fragrant caramel candies “barberry”.
содерж to content ↑Barberry - useful properties of
Long before our era, barberry berries were used as an effective remedy for rejuvenating, cleansing the blood, and treating many diseases. Mention of this found on clay tablets made by ancient Assyrians.
Now the huge value of the barberry is scientifically proven. The set of useful substances contained in it is able to remove toxins, cleanse the body, slow down the aging process, repair damaged cells, cope with inflammatory processes in the body, prevent cardiovascular diseases, resist atherosclerosis.
And this is just a small list of the healing benefits of the “caramel tree”, which can not only give us health, but also bring a piece of beauty, harmony and charm into our lives.
содерж to content ↑Barberry shrub in the garden
In the horticulture and landscape design the barberry bushes have been used for a long time and quite successfully. This plant is effective at any time of the year, and can also bring tangible benefits to you and your garden.
In the spring, the aroma of a flowering barberry will attract hard-working bees, in the summer bright greens will delight the eye with its freshness, in the fall a fantastic combination of bright foliage colors will revive the sad garden, and in winter ruby drops of berries on a snow-white snow cover will remind you of the hot summer. 
Thanks to its decorative effect, the barberry looks wonderful in single plantings, in compositions with other plants, and in hedges. 
Shrubs lend themselves well to formation and pruning, and low-growing varieties are great for borders and adorn the rock gardens. A variety of leaf color makes it possible to make interesting color compositions, combining purple with greens, and variegated varieties with fringed.
Leaving and planting barberry
Despite its unique usefulness and high decorativeness, the barberry is completely unpretentious, and care for it is not difficult.
Its only "whims" are good illumination and moderate soil moisture.
The composition and fertility of the soil, changes in temperature and humidity do not affect its decorative effect. If you still make him regular "haircuts", then the grateful barberry will grow, blossom and bear fruit with a truly royal generosity.
There are many ways to reproduce barberry, there is always the opportunity to choose the most convenient for you. Seeds, cuttings, division of the bush, root cuttings, self-seeding, vaccination - at your disposal the entire arsenal of tools.
Reproduction by seeds makes it possible to get a lot of planting material, but it is quite a long process. Sowing seeds is better in the winter, before the start of severe frosts. For spring sowing, seed stratification is carried out for 3-4 months at a temperature not higher than + 5 ° C.At the place of sprouting, the seedlings are left for 2 years, and then another 1-2 years are left for rearing in the shkolka. And only after that determine them to a permanent place. The fastest breeding method is dividing a bush and root shoots. Summer cuttings are taken for grafting and rooted in moist soil.
BY THE WAY!
Do not forget that the older the barberry bush, the worse it adapts after transplants.
Landing methods depend on the ultimate goal. With a single bush placement, the distance to the nearest plants is at least 2 m.
A single-row hedge usually includes 4 plants, a two-row one - 5. Freely growing hedge implies planting 2 plants per 1 meter.
Due to its unpretentiousness, the barberry can grow on any soil with any level of acidity. However, if possible, it is desirable to provide him with the most comfortable conditions by adding humus and sand to the soil mixture and liming the acidic soil.
One of the elements of care are dressings that allow for a long time to maintain the decorativeness of the bushes and abundant fruiting. Top dressing is recommended to begin in the second year after planting. The first dressing is carried out in the spring with nitrogen fertilizers at the rate of 30 g of urea per 10 liters of water. In the future, it is enough to make complex mineral fertilizers once in 3 years.
Traditional watering, weeding and loosening are carried out once every 2 weeks, and immediately after planting new plants it is necessary to mulch the soil under them.
An important point to maintain the decorativeness of the bushes is pruning. Hygienic pruning is carried out annually in spring, all old, dried, weak and poorly developed shoots are removed. Forming hedgerows begins in the second year. When it is initially removed, up to 2/3 of the above-ground part of the plant, and in subsequent years in June and August, it is cut to 1/2 the height of the fence. 
Like all plants, the barberry needs protection from pests and diseases. His main enemies are barberry aphid, flower moth, powdery mildew and various fungal diseases.
As a preventive measure in spring, it is necessary to treat with a soap solution prepared from 30 g of soap and 10 liters of water. When caterpillars are found, barberry bushes are treated with chlorophos or decis, according to the instructions.
For protection against fungal diseases, spraying with a solution of Bordeaux liquid or colloidal sulfur is considered effective; spraying is carried out in three stages: after the leaves appear, and then two more times with an interval of 20 days.
