Berberis thunbergii Inspiration - Barberry

Berberis thunbergii 'Inspiration' is a beautiful variety with a very compact and rounded habit and original young foliage splashed with purple, pink and white! Its small size and neat appearance make it perfect for creating low borders or accompanying flowering plants in beds or rockeries. Its deciduous foliage darkens to purple before turning red and orange in autumn. Its insignificant spring flower clusters are nectar-rich and attract a large number of pollinating insects. Hardy and drought-tolerant, it is a robust shrub that needs full sun and well-drained soil to achieve a more intense colouration.

Berberis thunbergii, also known as Japanese barberry, is a shrub in the Berberidaceae family native to Japan. It is characterized by a bushy, spreading, and low habit, and deciduous foliage, semi-evergreen in mild climates. The colour of its foliage intensifies under full sun. Hardy and resistant to temporary droughts, it is a very easy shrub to grow in well-drained soils.

The cultivar 'Inspiration' is a recent variety with a medium growth rate, reaching 50cm (19.7in) in height and 60cm (23.6in) in width. The branches of this variety are erect, bushy, and dense, with a light beige to brown colour and small thorns. The marbled young foliage and compact habit are its main assets. The glossy leaves, measuring 2 to 3cm (0.8 - 1.2in) in length, are obovate (oval, with the upper part of the leaf wider than the lower part). When they first emerge, they display a colouration splashed with purple, pink, and white, and as they mature, they darken to purple. In autumn, they turn red and orange before falling. In May-June, numerous clusters of 1 to 6 small flowers bloom on 1-year-old stems. These bell-shaped flowers, 1cm (0.4in) long, are creamy white, nectar-rich and followed by small, bright red spherical fruits, 6 to 8mm (0.2 - 0.3in) long, which persist on the branches throughout part of the winter.

Japanese Barberry is a very adaptable shrub in terms of soil, tolerating pruning well, but clearly preferring sunny exposures. It is a shame to confine it to the role of a monochrome and anonymous defensive hedge where its naturally graceful habit is completely hidden. The fanciful foliage of 'Inspiration' deserves a prominent place in front of taller shrubs with pink flowers (Kolkwitzia, Abelia, Abeliophyllum distichum 'Roseum'), red flowers (Japanese Quince, roses, Weigelas), or even yellow to orange flowers (Japanese Kerria, Lena Orange Broom, Dropmore Scarlett Honeysuckle). Its low habit allows it to be used to create colourful ground covers, even on slopes, or to enhance a pot on a terrace or balcony. It can also be paired with the silver foliage of small artemisias like 'Little Mice' or the cream-variegated foliage of perennials like 'variegated ground elders'.