Berberis linearifolia Orange King - Barberry

The Berberis linearifolia Orange King offers one of the most beautiful flowerings that can be found among barberries, and its orange colour, both bright and silky, is very rarely seen in shrubs. It is magnificent in April, its thin foliage almost disappearing under the flowering. It is also sumptuous at the end of the season, covered with small red and shiny berries. This flowering sometimes continues in autumn in a less spectacular way. This spiny, vigorous but compact bush has a nice disorderly habit that will integrate well into a hedge or a flowering shrub bed.

The Berberis linearifolia Orange King, also known as the Narrow-leaf Barberry, is a hybrid and horticultural shrub from the Berberidaceae family. It has the Berberis linearifolia as one of its ancestors, which is native to South America, specifically Chile and Argentina, hardy in zone 7 and with no specific soil requirements. In nature, it is often found in beech forests. In its native regions, it easily hybridizes with Darwin's Barberry.

'Orange King' is an evergreen shrub characterized by a bushy, dense, upright habit, somewhat anarchic due to its branches arching over time. Its growth rate is moderate, reaching an average height of 1.75m (5.74 ft) and a width of 1.20m (3.94 ft). The bark of this shrub is light grey to brown, spiny, and becoming fibrous with age. In April, countless flowers bloom in small umbels of 2 to 4 almost double flowers which are rather large for a barberry. Each flower has up to 21 red-orange petals at blooming, turning bright orange when fully open. This barberry often has a second flowering in autumn. Nectar-rich and attractive to bees, this flowering is followed by the formation of small fleshy ovoid fruits that turn dark red and shiny when ripe. The evergreen foliage is composed of long, narrow, leathery leaves with slightly curled edges at the base, measuring 2 to 5.4cm (0.8 - 2.1in) in length, ending with a spine. They are a very shiny dark green.

The Narrow-leaved Barberry can be used in flower beds, in groups of 3, in a defensive hedge, in a free-form hedge, or in pots on a terrace. Very accommodating regarding soil, as is often the case with Berberis species, it tolerates all types of soil and exposures and can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C (5°F). Its beautiful and rare orange flowering, as well as its beautiful foliage and red fruits, make it an interesting shrub all year round. It can be planted in front of taller shrubs with blue flowers, such as ceanothus. Its flowering and red berries will blend well with the purple foliage of Berberis thunbergii Atropurpurea, or in mild climates, with that of Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea', a surprising mimosa with feathery purple and silver foliage. This shrub can also be planted in large rockeries to cover slopes or highlight the edge of a pathway.