darwin’s barberry
Berberis darwinii
RHS AGM 1993, RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones7 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size5 to 10 feet tall4 to 7 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Arching
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Orange-yellow
- Foliage color
- Gold/yellow, green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Darwin’s barberry (Berberis darwinii) is a shrub for hedges, privacy screens, borders, and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 7, or down to 0°F (-18°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist soil of most types. This evergreen grows fast and has an arching habit, and its orange-yellow flowers draw bees, butterflies, and birds. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything. You can plant it where a tall, tough screen is needed.
Pairs well with Cherry laurel, New England aster, and Mondo grass.
Native range
South America.