Trimming barberry bushes?

Question

We have a row of about 12-14 barberry bushes across our front yard. For many years we shortened them by cutting from the outside. They grew but they got pretty bare on the inside and I didn't like that sheared look. In recent years I have started to trim them to a height of about 2-3 ft by cutting the long canes right from near the bottom in order to allow them to keep a natural arching shape. They have been pretty but I notice that this year they are not looking as healthy as they have in the past years. Is it possible that this bush is not able to be kept short in this manner?

Answer 1

It could be you should be trimming the old canes not the new ones.  Let the new growth replace the older stems.  

Not knowing what kind of barberry it is I can't say much about keeping it small.  Most plants would not be bothered by regular pruning like that.  

Add some good fertilizer and trim out the older not so good looking stems.  (Canes? on a barberry? anyhow...)  

And do some tip pruning of the ones you leave so they will branch out and fill in.    

Answer 2

You can make hedges from Berberis and there are varieties that will stay the height you require such as  Berberis T. 'Little Favorite'.

Plants don't waste energy putting leaves where there is no sun, that's why the leaves on hedges are concentrated on the outside.  If they are the 6ft type varieties cutting them to 2-3 ft should have renovated them.  Perhaps they need a good fertilize.  Have you given them any organic fertilizer lately - cow manure etc they may need something different from what you usually give them.  If your area has been very dry lately this could also be causing the sparse foliage.  

If the shrub is normally only a 6ft variety, being pruned to 3ft shouldn't be to hard on them.      

Answer 3

I have found this to be the case with my barberry bushes, too.  This year I haven't trimmed them as drastically as in the past. I've hand trimmed just the new shoots---very time-consuming! But...they are looking pretty good with the aid of fertilizer. Remember that evergreen forms of barberry (the ones that don't lose their leaves) need to be pruned immediately after they flower. And if they're to be cut back, save that for late winter or early spring. In other words, radical pruning is best done in late February or early March--in order to cut them just before they begin their new growth in spring. Deciduous barberry need to be trimmed in late summer.The deciduous species (e.g. Berberis thunbergii, B. vulgaris) are noted for good autumn color, the leaves turning pink or red before falling.

P.S.--A fellow at our local nursery once told me that barberry bushes can be safely trimmed down to 1/3rd of their normal average height. And I, too, refer to the thick, dry old stems as "canes".    :)