Japanese Barberry 'Divine'

Japanese Barberry 'Divine' (Berberis thunbergii 'Divine') is a thorny deciduous shrub that saves its best for autumn. The small leaves turn through orange, yellow and red, and at the same moment glossy red berries ripen along shoots that are densely armed with spines.

Japanese barberries are planted as a prickly barrier along a boundary, a low hedge, a note of colour in a border or a group against a house wall. They are undemanding about soil, take clipping well and hold the clean lines of a planting for years, while the berries stay on after leaf fall.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The thorny shoots keep deer and larger rodents away, while the red berries on them are eagerly taken by birds.
• Hardiness: It takes down to -34 °C (USDA zone 4).
• Flowering: In April and May small but charming pale yellow flowers open.
• Light: Best in full sun: the colour is deeper and the crop of berries heavier; it takes partial shade too.
• Soil: It takes any well-drained garden soil - the one thing it will not stand is a wet, poorly drained spot.
• Watering: Watering dry to medium: established plants take heat and drought in their stride.
• Care: Care is easy; prune to RHS group 8 - shape and thin out after flowering.
• Landscape use: A hedge or thorny barrier, a border, a foundation planting and an accent in a small space.