Japanese Barberry 'Coral'

Japanese Barberry 'Coral' (Berberis thunbergii 'Coral') is a thorny deciduous shrub with small leaves that stays decorative right up to the frosts. In autumn the crown moves through orange, yellow and red, and glossy red berries ripen along the shoots and hang on into winter.

Barberries like this are planted as a low hedge, a prickly barrier along a boundary, a note of colour in a border or a group beside a path. They grow in almost any well-drained soil, take heat and drought calmly, tolerate clipping well and ask for very little care.

Key characteristics:

• Hardiness: It takes down to -34 °C (USDA zone 4).
• Flowering: In April and May small but charming pale yellow flowers open.
• Light: It shows best in full sun; it takes partial shade, but the brightest leaf colour comes in an open spot.
• Soil: It takes any ordinary well-drained garden soil - the one thing it dislikes is a heavy waterlogged substrate.
• Watering: Watering dry to medium: established bushes take heat and drought in their stride.
• Care: Care is easy; prune to RHS group 8 - thin out and shape after flowering.
• Landscape use: A hedge, a thorny barrier, a border and a splash of colour in a small space.