Berberis thunbergii Cabernet - Japanese Barberry

Berberis thunbergii Cabernet, also marketed under the name Berberis thunbergii Atropurpurea 'Moretti Select', is a variety of barberry that is particularly compact and remarkably colourful from spring to autumn. Its young shoots are a bright crimson red, its leaves a deep burgundy, and its autumn foliage takes on a beautiful, warm yellow hue. With a relatively fine texture, this deciduous shrub stands out from other plants in the garden with less refined foliage.

Thunberg's barberry Cabernet is a shrub of the Berberidaceae family. The species, Berberis thunbergii, also known as Thunberg's barberry or Japanese barberry, is a shrub native to Japan characterised by a spreading, low, bushy habit and deciduous foliage in winter, semi-evergreen in mild climates. It is a hardy and undemanding plant that is water-efficient and can tolerate limestone soils.

Berberis thunbergii Cabernet is a cultivar that stands out for its very dense, compact, and branched habit, wider than it is tall. This spiny, deciduous shrub with multiple stems reaches a height of 60 cm to 75 cm and a width of 60 cm to 90 cm. Its growth is slow, and it can live up to 20 years under ideal conditions. The leaves of this shrub are small, ovate, and measure about 2 cm in length. The young shoots of this 'Cabernet' variety are a bright crimson red, evolving into burgundy to violet foliage. In autumn, the leaves take on yellow to orange-yellow shades. The small, inconspicuous yellow flowers appear in April-May in small pendant clusters. They are visited by pollinators. In autumn, the shrub is adorned with beautiful red berries.

The Cabernet barberry can be used in mass plantings, it also allows helps create large colourful borders and can be easily grown in a large pot on the terrace. This small decorative shrub blends easily into small urban or contemporary style gardens. It can be combined with border roses such as 'Opalia' and 'Bees Paradise Pink' as well as boxwood hedges. In a small shrub bed, plant it with 'Magical Universe' St. John's Wort with decorative dark red berries and Mexican Orange Blossom 'Little Bee', for example.