Harlequin Japanese barberry
Berberis thunbergii 'Harlequin'
RHS AGM 2009
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size2 to 4 feet tall3 to 5 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Dense
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Pale yellow
- Fall color
- Yes
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Harlequin' Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Harlequin') is a shrub for hedges and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal. Pale yellow flowers open in early to late spring and attract bees and birds. The leaves also turn color in fall.
Pairs well with False indigo, Common milkweed, and Stargazer lily.