Berberis vulgaris
European barberry
Common names: Common barberry
Photo: Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The barberry is a thorny wild shrub whose bright red, elongated berries have a pleasant sour taste and are popular when dried as a fine ingredient in rice dishes and muesli. Only the ripe fruits are edible when raw, while the other parts of the plant remain inedible. Important to note: The barberry is an intermediate host for cereal black rust, therefore it should not be planted near grain fields or rye green manure.
Care instructions
Plant the barberry in autumn (October, week 42) in a sunny, rather dry location with calcareous soil. Keep distance from cereal crops, as it transmits black rust. It is undemanding and tolerant of pruning. Harvest the berries fully ripe from September; frost makes them milder. Prune the thorny shrub in late winter using heavy gloves.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, loamy, well-drained, humus-rich, lime-loving, lean
Feeding
Light feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
Rather not
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
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