Barberry shrub

The barberry family includes a wide variety of plants. The genus barberry (Berberis) - is directly related to this family. The plant comes in two varieties, trees and shrubs. The name of Arabic origin means "endowed with the shape of a shell." Wildlife can be observed in small thickets of the North Side Hemisphere, preferably in rocky and mountainous areas. The genus of plants that we are talking about has united up to 170 different plant species growing all over the Earth. A significant part of such representatives are successfully cultivated by summer residents and gardeners. The fruits of barberry are versatile in the preparation of drinks, jams, and traditional medicine successfully uses the beneficial, to some extent, medicinal properties of the culture. Very effective visual appeal of the plant. Various color of leaf plates, depending on varietal characteristics: yellow, pronounced green, purple tints, variegated color, interesting edging of spotted leaves. The height of a barberry tree or shrub is observed from 30 centimeters to 3 meters, it all depends on the characteristics of the variety and type of culture. Now we will consider a barberry shrub.

Barberry shrub: description

Barberry shrub photo

There are three types of shrub growth direction: semi-evergreen, deciduous, evergreen. The leaf plates are alternately arranged along the branches and have a leathery appearance, the tree is covered with multiple thorns - these are modified leaves, of which only a vein remains in the center. Short stalks begin their development from the bosom of that very thorn, from here comes the collection of leaf plates into a kind of bunch. The stems of the current season are able to arrange leaf plates on themselves in a spiral, in a single form. The flowers are small in size, very fragrant, painted in orange colors with small red blotches. Less often, you can observe the golden yellow color of the flowers. Flowers, as a rule, are located from inflorescences, the shape of which is bony or corymbose, even less often you can find a single arrangement of flowers. Each petal of a single flower has 2 nectaries on it. Barberry shrub is a wonderful honey plant, and aromatic flowers, during active flowering, attract the attention of bees. Formation and color palette of fruits depends entirely on the characteristics of the variety or type of shrub. The plant perfectly tolerates droughts and infertile soil, for this very reason, the shrub takes root well within the city. The culture is perfectly unpretentious. Almost any soil is suitable for growing trees and very often barberry plantations are used as a living, beautiful, fragrant hedge.

Barberry shrub: planting

First of all, we decide on the time for landing.

In practice, it is customary to plant the culture in early spring, at a time when the snow cover has completely receded and the soil has thawed. There is a small moment! Landing is carried out strictly before the opening of the kidneys, it is imperative not to be late. There is of course an option with an autumn planting, the main point is active leaf fall. As already mentioned, the barberry shrub is extremely unpretentious, this fact greatly facilitates planting, caring for the crop.You can grow in any area: semi-shaded areas, completely open areas with gusts of wind and significant drafts.

It is necessary to take into account all the varietal characteristics of the plant when choosing sites, even despite the complete unpretentiousness of the fruit trees themselves. For example, the most effective purple sheen appearance of barberry varieties can only be observed when grown in a well-lit area. The shrub is able to grow and develop even in more acidified soil, but, nevertheless, the best option is the acid-neutral soil condition. In the case when the acidity completely exceeds all norms, it is necessary to add lime and dig up the earth.

The nutrient composition for barberry can be added to the prepared soil 3-4 months before planting. There is an option with the introduction, just before the planting itself. What composition does the plant need:

• superphosphate in the amount of 100 grams;
• wood ash we take 200 grams;
• 0.4 kilograms of lime (necessarily slaked);
• garden soil up to 10 kilograms, you can take it already mixed with humus or compost.

We bring all the listed components into the prepared planting pit. This amount is calculated for one bush.

Schematic arrangement: single bushes can be planted at a distance of up to 200 centimeters from each other, but not less than 1.5 m. When creating a green hedge, the shrub is planted as follows: there are only 2 bushes per running meter.

Before planting, it is necessary to prepare a planting pit in 18-20 days. If this is a living fence, then a trench is needed to a depth of 40 centimeters. With a single planting, the pit, on the sides, is 40x40 cm. The roots of the plant require good aeration, for this, part of the sand is poured onto the bottom of the planting pit or trench.

In the condition of the soil before planting to a neutral or slightly acidic state, it is recommended to add all of the above components for the soil, with the exception of lime and ash. Only then should the barberry be planted.

After complete preparation of the planting pit or trench, we place the young seedling in the pit, add the required amount of soil, be sure to morning it. Water the seedling with plenty of water, the surface around the trunk must be mulched using peat or compost. In barberry, at the end of planting work, it is recommended to cut off the entire part left on the surface, while leaving strictly up to 5 sufficiently developed, independent buds from the base of the trunk.

Barberry shrub: care

Barberry shrub photo

• With regard to cultivation.

Growing barberry in your garden will not be difficult even for novice gardeners. Care and cultivation facilitates the whole process due to its unpretentiousness. Absolutely all varieties and any variety do not have special requirements and parameters for growth. Therefore, when choosing absolutely any variety, the system of care, planting and growing is exactly the same sequence. For example, the Thunberg variety, which is widely planted as decoration, manages absolutely the same steps when planting. As well as cultivated varieties for culinary purposes, whose fruits are of very good taste. Therefore, even if you are new to this business, only once you need to carefully read all the recommendations and rules of agricultural technology when planting barberry on the site. In the future, when deciding to diversify your plantings with other varieties and species, all your actions will follow the scheme that you have already tested on your own experience.

The main stages of care are systematic watering, timely application of top dressing, obligatory loosening of near-stem circles, weeding of the same area. If a rather prolonged drought manifests itself in your region, it is necessary to increase watering for barberry, up to once every 7 days.Use strictly cool water, and apply strictly by the root method, with a slight pressure of water. At the same time, try not to water the leaves of the bush. In the opposite situation, when the rains have become long-term, it is recommended to water less often, even completely suspend. The plant, which was planted quite recently, is watered once every 7 days, the seedling needs to be ill and activated in growth. The shrub will react very negatively to stagnant water, regulate this process when a globally long period of rains comes. Rotting of the root system is very often observed in such weather.

Timely weeding is a prerequisite for the healthy development of bushes, weeds can completely clog the entire near-stem area, which is dangerous for the plant. The shoots from the bush are also weeded, it takes a large amount of strength and nutrition from the main plant. Regular loosening allows the bushes to provide the necessary air exchange. There is a recommended way to reduce all of the listed care manipulations. Just mulch the surface of the near-stem soil circle. What is included in the mulch: peat, sawdust, you can replace the peat part with a nutshell.

• Application time and composition of top dressing.

The entire amount of fertilizers applied to the soil during planting is consumed by shrubs throughout the year. After wintering, in early spring, the berry grower needs another portion of food. For this we use fertilizers containing the required amount of nitrogen. For example, the following composition: dilute urea in an amount of 30 grams per bucket of water and apply by the root method, without falling on the leaf plates and the plant trunk itself. During the entire duration of the active growth of the shrub, the introduction of the nitrogen-containing composition will need to be applied at intervals of 3-4 years.

When you grow barberry for culinary purposes, at the end of flowering, as well as at the end of the fruiting season, be sure to feed the tree with the following elements: potassium and phosphorus in the recommended solution, that is, superphosphate up to 15 grams + potassium fertilizers up to 10 grams. It is possible to use a ready-made composition purchased in a specialized store, for example, Kemira-wagon. The time to add this composition is at the beginning of July, add a solution: 15 grams of the composition to a bucket of water.

• Rules for pruning.

For pruning, if you have no experience in growing barberry, be sure to read the recommendations and rules of the process. The following indications are subject to pruning:

• plant shoots that are damaged by various types of diseases or pests;
• shoots glorified during past seasons;
• branches dried up for some reason;
• just a necessary control to prevent crown thickening. Even if the shoots are healthy enough, but interfere with the correct formation of the bush, it is necessary to cut it off.

All places of cuts when working with wood are processed by an improvised, special tool. It is also necessary to disinfect the tool required for trimming.

The first pruning of decorative barberry is carried out in the spring, strictly according to the execution of one year. It is recommended to cut off up to two-thirds of the entire shoot, depending on the variety. Each next growing season, you need to prune twice. Early June, early days of August. This is a sanitary direction of pruning, also necessary for the formation of a beautiful crown of the shrub. For species and varieties of barberry, pruning is not required.

Dangerous pests and diseases

Barberry Thunberg

The barberry has a fairly average immunity to sores and parasites. Therefore, even with high-quality care, the barberry shrub is capable of being attacked by such. Who can harm: flower moth, sawfly, aphid.

When infested with aphids, shrubs and withering of the leaf plates occur in the bushes.You can fight this parasite by using ordinary laundry soap with a solution, 0.3 kilograms of soap per bucket.

The moth feeds on the fruits.

In the sawfly, caterpillars take the main part in harming the bushes. The fight against them occurs by means of a 1% chlorophos solution. This method is used to combat the moth.

The barberry shrub has a permanent pest - it is a fungus and all its manifestations. Infection with fungal diseases takes place in a rather severe form, since such a disease spreads very quickly, thanks to the spores of the fungus. For example, such sores: spotting (directly on the foliage), powdery mildew, rust, wilting, bacteriosis.

When powdery mildew, leaves, stems and even fruits are damaged, plaque, a mealy state and a whitish shade appear. In autumn, on those parts of the plant that were affected, you can see clestothecia, where the spores of the fungus will perfectly outlast all winter, even harsh temperatures. That is, the fungus does not die, even during processing and severe winter frosts. Initially, it is recommended to carry out systematic preventive maintenance annually. This is necessary to prevent this kind of problem from occurring. But when the first signs of dew appear, urgently treat the entire bush with a 1% solution of colloidal sulfur. Single shoots and even bushes, affected in a large-scale form, are subject to immediate cutting and treatment of the remaining part, the basal area, with the same preparation. Always rework the tool used after working on diseased bushes.

A very common cause of rust on barberry bushes is planting of cereal plants at close range. The first sign of damage to a tree by this disease was the formation of orange spots on the front side of the leaf plates. These spots are able to form small bumps of a reddish color, in the same places on the seamy side of the sheet. If you do not react in time, there is a large-scale spread of rust further along the bush. After that, the leaves dry out abundantly and fall off. For the treatment of such a disease, treatment with a special drug is used, namely a solution of this drug, to be carried out in three stages, at intervals. For example, Bordeaux liquid or colloidal sulfur is recommended, no more than 1% concentrate. The very first treatment takes place after the full disclosure of all the buds and the formation of leaves, since the impregnation with the drug is absorbed by the leaves. Two more treatments should be carried out in 20 days alternately.

Spotting is the manifestation of specks of various shapes directly on the leaves of a plant. These signs indicate infection. The first is the loss of decorative appearance. Such a sore is especially harmful to shrubs planted for hedges. To get rid of even the very first signs of illness, use copper oxychloride, only in solution. 40 grams of the drug per bucket of water. Processing is carried out in two steps: during flowering activity, the second, when the barberry fades.

Lethargy and drying of the leaves is a sign of another disease - wilting. But in this case, there is one difference - drying occurs only on one side of the leaf. Already further wilting spreads throughout the bush. Timely help for the plant is a complete cut of all infected areas. If the stage of the disease is initial, then a solution of copper oxychloride is used, it can be replaced with Bordeaux liquid. Both drugs are required 1% solutions. Bordeaux liquid in the form of a spray solution can be used as a prophylactic agent in the spring.

The disease bacteriosis has a second name - bacterial cancer and manifests itself on the bushes in the form of tumors, cracks. Further, the growth of the bush begins.In case of partial damage to the stems, the entire infected part is completely cut off, capturing a piece of a healthy shoot. But a wider spread of the shoot, closer to the base, if the damaged shoot is located very close to the trunk of the barberry, then the infection of the entire tree is not far off. Immediately cut off all affected shoots, be sure to destroy.

After the procedure, the trimmed bush is completely treated with the same Bordeaux liquid, you can use another drug of a similar direction and with a copper content. Tools used when working with diseased plants are always subject to processing.

Shrub propagation

Barberry Ottawa

There are four main ways to propagate barberry bushes:

• use layering;
• divide a healthy bush;
• propagate by seeds;
• propagation by cuttings.

For each method, you can emphasize the positive and negative sides. Below we will briefly consider each method separately, highlighting all the features of each.

• Seed reproduction.

In order for the seed to be of excellent quality, it is necessary to collect it only from those trees where the fruits are fully ripe, even slightly overripe. Carefully separate the seeds from the pulp, immediately place them in a prepared solution of potassium permanganate. Keep in solution for only up to 5 minutes. Then strain the seeds, put on a napkin or towel and dry completely. We begin to sow seed material in the fall, directly into the prepared beds, the depth of the trench is up to 1 centimeter. So leave it for the winter.

In the spring, after the germination of seeds and the appearance of the first two true leaves, we carry out thinning, taking into account the distance between the seedlings at least 3 centimeters. In this arrangement, young shoots remain to grow for up to two years. Only then we select the highest quality small bushes and transplant them to a permanent place of growth. You can, of course, sow planting material in the spring, but then the seeds are subject to a stratification process. What you need to do for this: the seeds are mixed with sand, the container is put in the refrigerator on the uppermost shelf. The temperature in the refrigerator does not exceed +5 degrees. It is there that they will stay for 2-5 months.

Saplings sown by this method, and then immediately planted in a permanent place of growth, are capable of bearing fruit after 2-3 years after sowing and the first shoots. The fact that there should be several young shoots is taken into account, so that no circumstances interfere with the appearance of ovaries. Bushes must be placed side by side, keeping the distance between the plants. The barberry shrub has cross-pollination.

• Using barberry cuttings for propagation.

Cuttings are harvested in the second half of June. It is recommended to carry out such a procedure in the morning, even earlier in the morning. Remove all foliage that is located on the lower sati of the cuttings. Those leaves that are located on the upper part are shortened in half. Next, the prepared material is placed in a special solution that stimulates plant growth. It can be: root, epin, heteroauxin. Your choice. In this state, the cuttings are from 2 to 5 hours. Further, the material is washed with clean water, and the planting takes place in greenhouse conditions and always in a moist soil mixture of sufficiently fertile quality. The following soil composition: sand + peat + humus + soil; All components in a ratio of 1: 2: 2: 2. The greenhouse should have a removable roof, transparent. Up to about 15 days, the seedlings observe the greenhouse regime, the roof of the greenhouse is regularly removed for high-quality ventilation of the planting material. After complete rooting, the roof is completely retracted. A training bed is created, where young seedlings are transplanted. In the garden, the barberry shrub continues to grow and develop up to 2 years.After that, the most developed and strengthened bushes are transplanted to a permanent growing place, the required distance and all planting rules recommended specifically for barberry are observed.

• Reproduction method by layering.

How to choose the right layering? We start the process in early spring, examine the lower branches, choose a one-year-old, but sufficiently developed and strengthened shoot. We press, very carefully so as not to break, to the ground surface. Before that, it is necessary to make a small depression in the soil. It is in this groove, no deeper than 20 centimeters, that we place the selected shoot. We fix the layering in this position with any available means, for example, with a metal arc. Then sprinkle the groove with earth, the entire upper part of the shoot should remain on the surface. In the fall, the shoot will take root enough, cut the finished seedling from the parent bush, carefully transplant it to a permanent growing place. The procedure for planting a young bush in accordance with all the rules established by the norms.

• Dividing the bush.

This method to propagate the barberry shrub is used mainly for barberry species with low growth, but not less than five years of age. The root collar of such a bush is deepened by at least 10 centimeters. The whole procedure takes place in early spring. Carefully dig up the selected plant, divide it into several independent parts, approximately the same in size. The root system of an adult plant is quite solid, powerful, and well-developed. Therefore, you will need both a pruner and a garden saw to separate the roots. Important! Do not forget to process all the necessary tools before each gardening process. This will ensure the safety of your plant from the manifestation of various diseases.

All actions with the division of roots should be carried out very carefully, since this part plays a very important role in the process of healthy development of plants. The bush must not be seriously damaged. After the separation process, all the cut points are urgently processed with charcoal powder. After processing, each cut can be planted in a permanent growing place, observing the necessary distances and all planting rules for barberry.

If your bushes that you plan to propagate have shoots branching high from the soil level, this method will not work.

Autumn and winter for culture

Common barberry

After the arrival of the late autumn period, we begin to prepare your barberry planting for winter rest. Like all horticultural crops, good shelter is needed. To begin with, we take mulch and cover the entire trunk circle with a good layer. The composition of the mulch must be made very loose, for excellent air exchange, which is necessary for plants even in winter. The composition can be as follows: dry foliage or peat, add compost.

Younger bushes, up to 5 years old, require a little extra cover. You can use the flooring of spruce branches, especially such flooring is necessary for evergreens. We cover more than five-year-old bushes for the winter. What needs to be done for this: we take a twine or rope, tighten the branches tightly, then use a metal mesh to build a cylindrical fence around the bush. The height of the cylinder exceeds the bush by about 10 centimeters. Fill all the voids formed between the mesh and the plant with dry leaves. The finished structure must be covered with a special material purchased in the store for use in the shelter.

Varieties and popular varieties of barberry

In the modern world of gardening, there is an excess of varieties and varieties of barberry, it is quite difficult to opt for a specimen that is suitable specifically for you and the conditions of your climate where you live. After all, it is necessary to take into account all the varietal characteristics, to master the entire planting process, the rules of care.Many novice gardeners have not even decided on the choice of why they want to plant barberry on their plots: using the nutritional and medicinal value of the fruits, or creating decorated, beautiful and evergreen hedges for their plot. The chosen target will become the guideline when choosing. If you want to get a high-quality and abundant harvest of berries, then the variety must be chosen from the specimens presented in this particular direction. To decorate your backyard with a hedge, use the list of varieties for this purpose.

The barberry shrub has a part of the cultivated shrubs that can decorate the garden and bring a rich, tasty, healthy harvest. The choice is yours, and in this article we will briefly analyze, but several varieties and species are available that are most in demand among gardeners, taking into account all the features and subtleties for planting under certain climatic conditions.

1) Common barberry is a shrub that is the basis of this species, capable of reaching a height of 0.3 meters. The color of the stems is gray, slightly brown. Endowed with thorns, which are formed in a three-part way and up to 2 centimeters in size. The leaf plate of the plant is represented by a membranous structure, elliptical in shape, rather thin and having ciliate-serrate edges. The color of the front side of the leaves is dark green, from the inside the leaves are gray, slightly greenish, slightly pale. The inflorescences are collected in a brush, and they are almost 6 centimeters long. The inflorescences include yellow flowers, a little glossy tint, and a very fragrant aroma. Short flowering occurs up to 20 days. Ripe fruits are colored in shades of red, quite saturated, each berry length up to 15 mm. The species is assembled from many varieties:

• albo variegata - whose leaves are slightly variegated, deep white;
• aureo-marginata - green leaves are endowed with a border of a beautiful golden color;
• atropurpurea - in this variety, the leaves are purple, dark in color, sometimes you can also find a red color.

For all varieties and types of seedless direction of common barberry, processing of fruits in a very light form is possible.

There are a number of species that have partial similarities with the common barberry species: the hybrid variety Provansky, bred by crossing the Siberian and common barberry; species of Himalayan origin - Spinous; Canadian; James; Diels; Zimbold.

2) Barberry Thunberg (Berberis thunbergii) - refers to deciduous barberries, and this representative is endowed with the greatest effect, which contributes to the creation of an excellent decorative picture of any garden plot. The growth of this species does not exceed 100 centimeters, the branches are located in the horizontal direction. An interesting color of the stems, sometimes a rich red color, in another version it is presented in light yellow colors. Arcuate deviation of young shoots. Increased branching. With age, the color of the shoots acquires a more brown, slightly purple, sometimes brown, shade. Centimeter, thin, but very resilient spikes. Sufficiently graceful leaf plates are formed in obovate form, less often the shaping is slightly oblong, do not exceed 30 mm in length. The front side of the leaves is saturated green color, the color of the seamy side is of a bluish tone. In the autumn, all the leaves acquire a bright red color, a very rich tone. The formation of flowers occurs in two ways: a collected bunch or a single arrangement. Each petal is yellow on the inside of the inflorescence, on the outside the petals are colored red. The flowering time does not exceed two weeks. Fruits grow up to 2 centimeters, red, slightly coral shade, development of an elliptical shape.Already at the very beginning of autumn, mechanical ripening of the crop takes place, for 2-4 months, such beautiful berries are considered the most beautiful decoration of the bush. The composition of the berries of this type includes a significant amount of alkaloids, it is this composition that causes the manifestation of a bitter taste. However, such a specific taste does not prevent it from becoming an excellent treat for winter birds.

Planting and then caring for this species will not bring much trouble and time-consuming. The direction of planting this type, mainly decorative direction. A wide variety of decorativeness in the formation of the following direction: shade-purple, multi-flowered, silvery-bordered and many other forms.

Next, consider the varieties and species that are most in demand in the world of gardening.

• Golden Ring is an almost three-meter plant with a rounded crown. Leaf plates up to 4 centimeters and ovoid, painted in a dark, red-purple tone. There is a yellow border along the edge of the leaves. In autumn, the colors of the leaves change to a pronounced, saturated red color. Inflorescences, each centimeter in diameter, are collected in a bunch of up to 5 pieces. The inside of the flowers is yellow, the outside is red. The berries are of a red-coral hue, full ripening occurs in mid-October.
• Red Pilar - the formation of the crown of the columnar type, a low-growing plant not higher than 150 centimeters. The width of the crown does not exceed 45 cm. The leaves are violet-red; for the autumn period, the color becomes more saturated with a scarlet tone.
• Orange Rocket is another representative with a columnar shape of the crown, the same undersized tree, only 120 centimeters can grow, the crown reaches 60 centimeters in width. Quite small leaves, slightly smooth, ovoid, are located on the shoots of the current season. Painted in orange tones, along the edge of the border in yellow. If these are the leaves of the shoots of the last season, then the color is predominantly purple, red. This dual color of the leaves makes an excellent picture against the background of the general green area. In autumn, the color of the leaves occurs in shades of red.
• Kornik - shrub belongs to the species of deciduous barberries, grows up to 1.5 meters. Light green leaf plates. The arrangement on the shoots is irregular, the peculiarity is the presence of white, slightly creamy specks of various shapes. Outwardly, it resembles spraying paint over the leaves. For autumn, the leaves are repainted in a bright, pronounced red color with a scarlet shade. It is recommended to plant this variety next to coniferous representatives, some varieties of roses.

3) Barberry Ottavsky - a hybrid of the decorative direction, bred by crossing the Thunberg variety and the ordinary atropurpurea variety. This species is a representative of the list of the finest shrubs of this genus. The barberry grows up to 2 meters, outwardly the variety is similar to the ancestor of this species, that is, the Thunberg barberry, only in an enlarged form. However, the paint of the leaf plates, the purple tone, is the legacy of the second progenitor - the purple-leaved form of the common barberry.

The practical appearance of the resulting hybrid was the following picture - the leaves are painted in purple-pink tones, dark tint. The peculiarity is in repainting the leaves to a black tone in sunlight. For the autumn period, the color of the leaves smoothly turns into more crimson, saturated tones, which serves as an excellent decoration for the entire bush, complementing the overall picture of decorativeness. Like many hybrids, there is excellent immunity to cold winters, excellent ease of care. The variety itself can be attributed to the fast-growing representatives of the barberry variety.
Below we list the most common varieties among all, the widest range of varieties and varieties of barberry presented to the world of gardeners.

• Auricoma is a medium-height shrub, up to 2.5 meters in total. The leaves grow up to 5 centimeters, have a rounded shape. In the spring and during the summer season, the color is deep red, in autumn there is a change to orange tones. Inflorescences are collected in a brush, the length of which is up to 5 centimeters. The brush is filled with red-yellow flowers, each almost a centimeter in diameter. Deep red fruits.
• Superba is a majestic bush, up to 4 meters in height. The leaves reach 5 centimeters in length, rounded in shape, endowed with a dark red tint and a slightly bluish bloom. In autumn, the leaves change color to a variety of ebb and flow of orange and reddish tones. Carpal formation of inflorescences, the color of each flower is yellow, with a red filling. The berries are red in color.
• Silver Miles - if you look closely at this variety, it will seem completely unattractive in appearance. But the background picture is quite spectacular, in combination with the plants planted in the foreground. The leaf plates are purple, on the outside of each leaf are randomly arranged, various strokes of gray, slightly dirty tones. In the distance, the color of the leaves resembles lilac paints.

Barberry shrub: useful properties

The direction of growing barberry in garden plots can be divided into two types. The first is to create a decorative design for the garden, using the exterior of the shrub as a wonderful decoration. Another goal is to grow common barberry to obtain tasty, healthy berries suitable for making various culinary dishes, marinades, compotes, jelly, jam, jelly, compote, marshmallow. Armenian cuisine uses pickled berries when serving meat dishes, such as lamb, as well as fried vegetables and rice garnishes.

Fruits of edible content have an increased amount of acids, citric, malic, tartaric. And the leaves contain carotenoids, mineral salt and vitamin E, C. The fruits are used with high blood pressure, when psoriasis occurs, to stabilize the general tone of the body, eliminate various infections in the intestines, hemostatic property, stop the growth of various parasites in the human body.

The fruits of barberry have a small feature, an unripe berry contains part of the poison in its composition, therefore, for use in food, you should harvest the crop, only fully ripe. And for medicinal purposes, it is possible to use the entire plant completely. How to prepare, harvest and dry a plant for the winter? The fruits themselves go through the drying process only in a dark place. The temperature regime is not higher than +50 degrees. Dried material in any container, only made of paper or cardboard. Quite a long shelf life, almost 3 years.

What medicinal properties can be emphasized in this useful plant? The most basic: choleretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, as an antispasmodic, also an anti-tumor agent, and antibacterial action. The roots of the plant are used as a decoction, such a remedy will perfectly relieve the inflammatory process in the gallbladder, stabilize the outflow of bile. Leaf plates are also used to prepare the decoction. A slightly different direction in application: various forms of hepatitis, indigestion, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder ducts.

A decoction of the bark is used in the following cases: chronic pancreatitis. The use of berry juice as a very effective laxative, stabilizes the appetite. A mixture of ripe fruits and honey will be able to raise immunity, mainly during radiation exposure.A decoction of the roots is used for the inflammatory process in the eyes, as well as wounds, skin areas with inflammation of eczema. A lotion or compress with a decoction will help with: arthritis, radiculitis, rheumatism, osteochonrosis, leg muscle spasm.

• Contraindications

Like any medication and traditional medicine, there are a number of contraindications for the use of various barberry-based products that should be adhered to in order to avoid negative consequences:

• treatment of children under the age of twelve is strictly prohibited;
• of course, individual intolerance to such a drug;
• severe forms of hepatitis;
• cholelithiasis;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• different stages of pregnancy;
• climacteric or postpartum bleeding.

Of course, one should not forget about the presence of poison in incompletely ripe berries !!!

Barberry ornamental shrub - conclusion

Barberry shrub is a decorative plant, the fruits of the tree have useful values, great taste, used in cooking. The shrub has advantages and disadvantages. Growing such a plant on your site will not be difficult, just following all the rules when planting, caring for barberry. The most important thing is to choose the right variety for your climate. Then everything will work out. The variety of barberry varieties allows you to experiment to find the most profitable material for your conditions and requirements. Good landings.