Japanese barberry

About Japanese barberry

Japanese barberry is a thorny Asian shrub sold for its red, purple or gold leaves. It is invasive: birds spread its berries into forests, where it forms dense thickets, and Pennsylvania added it to its noxious weed list in 2021 and stopped sales by fall 2023, except for four sterile WorryFree cultivars (NC State, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture). In Connecticut woods, dense barberry held more than twice as many Lyme-infected blacklegged ticks as areas where it was controlled (Williams and Ward, 2010). Native alternatives include American beautyberry, New Jersey tea, winterberry, spicebush, bayberry, shrubby St. John's wort and mapleleaf viburnum (NC State).

Hardy in zones 4-8 (NC State). Invasive across much of the East and listed by the NC Invasive Plant Council; Pennsylvania lists it as a Class B noxious weed. Check your state's rules before planting.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Not recommended for planting. If you want the look, NC State suggests sterile cultivars (Sunjoy and WorryFree groups) or natives instead.

Soil

Grows in almost any well-drained soil and tolerates drought, heat, city conditions and some salt (NC State).

Test the soil before planting; mature shrubs in decent soil need little or no fertilizer (Clemson).

Feeding

Invasive: don't plant or feed it; see the plant page for native alternatives (NC State).

Harvest

Small pale yellow flowers hang under the leaves in April-May; glossy red berries ripen in fall and last into winter, and birds spread them (NC State).

Varieties (8)

Invasive. Only the sterile cultivars are reasonable choices; Pennsylvania allows only the four WorryFree cultivars named here.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Scale insects

Diseases and problems

Anthracnose, Root rot, Bacterial leaf spot, Wilt

In the kitchen

Safety: Sharp spines at every node make it a poor choice near play areas (NC State). Dense thickets also shelter blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease (Williams and Ward, 2010).

Pets: Not on the ASPCA toxic plant lists.