Berberis thunbergii Golden Ring

The Berberis thunbergii 'Golden Ring' is a variety of barberry recognised for its aesthetic and behavioural qualities with an Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. It develops medium-sized purple foliage adorned with a delicate yellow edge. In autumn, its colour intensifies to a bright and vibrant red. The pale yellow spring flowers are tinged with red, followed by small dark purple berries in autumn. This deciduous shrub, very hardy and accommodating, has a significant effect in a small low hedge or a shrub border, especially in contrast with lighter foliage.

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

The 'Golden Ring' cultivar, on the other hand, has a bushy and rounded habit. It reaches about 1m in height with a similar spread at maturity. The young branches are red and have mildly aggressive thorns. The foliage is the main asset of this barberry. It consists of glossy leaves measuring 3cm long and ovate to a rounded shape. The colour is dark purple, taking on a slightly greener shade in summer. In April-May, clusters of 1 to 6 small flowers bloom on 1-year-old stems. The bell-shaped flowers, 1cm long, are a soft yellow slightly streaked with red. They are highly nectariferous and are followed in September-October by small spherical purple fruits, 6 to 8mm long, which persist on the branches for part of the winter. The foliage turns a beautiful bright red before falling.

The 'Golden Ring' barberry is a tolerant shrub to different soil types and withstands pruning well. Its colour is more intense in the sun, but to avoid excessive exposure, especially in spring and summer midday, it is planted in partial shade in regions where necessary. Its foliage blends perfectly with a colour palette ranging from red to yellow, orange, and blue. Plant it on a border with shrubs such as pink-flowered Kolkwitzia and red-flowered Japanese Quince, not forgetting the yellow to orange shades of Kerria japonica or the blue of Ceanothus thyrsifolius repens, for example. It can also be used in a mixed hedge with evergreen foliage or enhance a large container on terraces and balconies. It also harmonises well with the silver foliage of Artemisia or the cream-variegated green foliage.