A paradox of beast and beauty, the barberries should be an indispensable part of any well-furnished garden.  Among the 600 or so species in the world, there is a huge range of sizes and leaf forms, but the flowers are always yellows or oranges.  Leaves come in colors of sea green, black green, pink and white marbled, gold-edged, white reversed or red-burgundy, to name a few.  Deciduous forms often have spectacular fall color.  Stem spines are persistent and often conspicuous, making these plants excellent barrier material and impenetrable hedges when established.  Woe to anyone who dares to try and slip through for a clandestine look at your property!  The berries are also a dominant feature and rival the rainbow for colors—black, indigo, purple, blue shiny red and coral, often large and showy.  But however yummy they look, leave them on the plant as they can cause mild stomach upset.  In addition, some (most?!) people are sensitive to the bite of the thorns.

The barberries succeed in nearly all soils except the very wet, tolerate sun or part shade and can be trimmed mercilessly or left to thrive au naturel.  Over the years, some species have gotten a bad reputation as carriers of wheat rust disease, but recently the Dept. of Agriculture has relaxed the restrictions to allow the production of some selections that have added greatly to the gene pool.  Many species grow readily from seed and freely cross-pollinate, so the occurrence of natural hybrids is quite common.

These are a few, but by no means all, that I recommend trying, some being easier to locate than others:

B. thunbergi ‘Golden Nugget’ - a deciduous form, very compact and mounding, attaining only 2’ X 3’, with lovely lemon yellow foliage and shiny red berries like little glass beads in winter.  It associates well with purple or very dark green plants, but needs sun to keep the gold color.

B. stenophylla ‘Claret Cascade’ - an evergreen type to 4’ X 4’, with small narrow leaves that are bronzy purple when emerging on red shoots.  It bears clusters of rich orange-red blooms in April.

B. wilsonaiae—a very spiny little spreading shrub that is semi-evergreen, with green and grey leaves that turn rich oranges and reds in fall, then show off large clusters of coral pink to light red berries.

B. valdiviana—a tree form from Chile that is absolutely spectacular when mature.  I saw this in Holehird Gardens in the Lake District of England, and literally stood in silent awe!  The large shiny leaves, something like a holly, were almost obliterated by the magnificent clusters of blue-black fruits weighing down the branches that September.  Spiny, yes (not a tree for climbing or tree forts), but tidy and round headed, standing well over the perennial beds without casting too much shade.

Check out other gardens and parks in April when many are in bloom and again in fall for leaves and berries.  You will find one that suits you.