Landscaping landscaping is carried out taking into account the climate, which is especially important for the Russian territories. The main requirement for plants is winter hardiness and unpretentiousness to the soil, which fully meets the variety of barberry Maria (Berberis Tunberga Maria). By the beauty of the leaves, it is not inferior to flowers, while it is not difficult to cut it because of vertical growth.
Description of barberry Maria
Barberry of Thunberg Maria (Maria) is a thorny bush, reaching a height of 1.2-1.5 m and 1 m in width. It has a compact dense crown growing vertically upwards. If you do not trim, the form becomes spreading.
Young shoots of pale green color
Young shoots have red tips, the shape of the leaves is rounded, whole-edge. Until the end of summer, it has golden green leaves with a burgundy border, and by autumn they acquire a rich red-orange color. Photophilous, but capable of growing in the shade - a long stay in it leads to a change in the color of the leaves.
Important! Barberry Maria can and should be cut without fear of spoiling his shape. Due to the vertical growth of the bush, this procedure will not cause difficulties even for beginners.
Flowers bloom in early summer, appear in inflorescences of 2-6 pieces or singly, have a yellowish color, the border of the petals is crimson. By October, small berries of bright red color ripen, remain on the bush all winter. The roots are fibrous, shallow.
Planting a plant
Barberry Maria is unpretentious, but for a successful landing it is recommended to follow some tips:
- The soil should be fertile and loose, with a small amount of salt.
- The plant has a high resistance to frost, they are dangerous only for young shoots. This is important for autumn landing in harsh climates.
- This variety of barberry can grow in blackout, where its leaves will only be green. This limits its decorative possibilities.
- Maria shows good resistance to drought, but "mock" the plant is not worth it. To make it look lush and healthy, you need to water it regularly.
Attention! Soils with high acidity are not suitable for planting barberry. To neutralize it, you need to use slaked lime.
Seed planting
If barberry is already growing on the site, it is not necessary to buy seedlings to plant new shoots. It is enough to extract the seeds from the ripened berries and rinse them well. You can use a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
For spring planting, seeds must be stored in a cool place - a cellar or a refrigerator. If autumn work is planned, processing by growth regulators is permissible.
Barberry seeds are sown in beds, the earth is pre-excavated. The plant shows poor germination, not more than 30-35% - plantings should be dense for a good result. Autumn planting will rise only in spring, in 1.5-2 years, they will make planting material.
Planting seedlings in open ground
At first, barberry grows in breadth, so they need to be planted at a distance of 2-3 meters from each other and other trees. The size of the pit should be larger than the root lump of seedlings. In order for the seedling to take root, it is recommended to make nutritious dressing: turf land, humus and peat in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Before removing the seedling from the container, it must be watered so as not to damage the rhizome.
Planting young seedlings
Place the barberry in the dug hole, cover the ground with earth and ram the root, not the hole completely! Water abundantly, add soil and water again. If there are damaged parts of the root, cut them off, treat the area with a solution of manganese. If the planting took place in arid hot weather, the seedling must be covered. The growth point cannot be deepened too much, this can lead to the death of barberry.
If you plan a whole hedge of barberry Maria, you need to purchase two-year-old cuttings or seedlings sprouted from seeds. The procedure is as follows:
- Forge a trench of the required length with a width of 50 cm.
- If the soil is infertile, put the nutrient in the bottom of the pit.
- Planting is carried out according to the same rules as for a single plant (discussed above).
- Protect your landing from direct sunlight.
Interesting! For seedlings with an open root system, it is necessary to straighten the roots in the pit itself, so the barberry will take root more quickly.
How to care for barberry maria
Despite the unpretentiousness, barberry Maria needs some attention. Of course, he can live unattended for a long time, but he will lose his beauty. So that the leaves are glossy, and the crown is fluffy, it is necessary to follow the rules for caring for the plant.
Manicured Barberry Bush
Watering
Barberry needs little water if the climate is not arid and hot. Under normal conditions, it is enough to water it once every 8-10 days. This is more true for young shrubs, adult specimens may well get along with rainwater.
Top dressing
In the first year of life, the plants have enough of the nutritional composition that was used during planting. Then in the spring you need to make nitrogen fertilizers, and by the end of August - complex. For hedges, top dressing is carried out every year, for single shrubs - every 5 years.
Pruning
Pruning to remove diseased and dry branches is carried out before flowering, in spring - this applies to individual shrubs and hedges. If the barberry has grown greatly, its density also needs to be thinned. For this, young shoots are pruned, and if the plant is old, on the contrary, removing dried branches, they form a bush from young shoots.
Important! The hedge needs a summer haircut twice a season - at the beginning and end.
You can cut barberries in the 2nd year of life, this applies to useful and decorative pruning. The bush easily takes the form of a ball or ellipsoid.
Healthy bush with bright leaves
Breeding methods
If the landscape project turned out to be large-scale, and barberry Maria plays an important role in it, a lot of planting material will come in handy. It can be propagated in several ways, each of which has its drawbacks:
- Seeds from berries. They have poor germination rates, there is a great risk of losing varietal qualities.
- Rooting of lateral shoots. The downside is that such shoots may simply not appear.
- Cuttings. Cuttings root very slowly.
- Transplant overgrown from maternal barberry. Without experience, the separation of the root should not be carried out, you can destroy the plant.
Interesting! Choosing the best option requires an experimental approach, depending on the properties and age of the existing bushes.
Diseases and Pests
Barberry Maria was bred by plant breeders as a plant resistant to the negative environment, it is slightly susceptible to disease.
Its main enemy is fungal diseases, and the first of them is powdery mildew. This mushroom affects not only barberries, it got its name for a white coating on leaves and stems. Like all fungi, it is resistant to low temperatures, its spores survive the winter and again harm the spring.
Spotting
A rust fungus can lead to the death of a bush if the condition of barberry is neglected. Symptom - orange bulges on the foliage, which contain spores, dangerous for other plants.
The effects of pests are the following manifestations:
- spotting due to which barberry may not survive the winter;
- wilt starting with rotting of the roots;
- drying, affecting the bark of the bush;
- bacteriosis that affects only leaves and petioles often leads to the death of the plant.
Pests dangerous to barberry are barberry aphid and moth. The first suck the juice from the leaves, the second larvae destroy the berries. Fight with them should be complex drugs, as well as sanitary pruning.
Important! It is necessary to remove the fallen leaves of the plant!
Winter preparations
The description of barberry Maria shows that this plant variety is resistant to frost. Sheltering the shoots is not necessary, but it is recommended to mulch the rhizome - cover it with suitable material for the winter. This step is especially important for young seedlings.
Use in landscape design
The aesthetic appearance of the barberry of Thunberg Maria allows you to implement several solutions in the design of the front garden.
This variety of barberry is perfect for creating a border: it is easy to cut and does not grow to the sides. The columnar crown imposes several conditions: plant Maria barberry at a distance of 30 cm, grow without decorative pruning for 2.5 years, after cutting not higher than 50 cm. The border will last 15-20 years, which is good for a living plant.
The height of the bush allows you to make it the center of a compact composition, for which you need to surround it with antennae, survivors and stones. To create a larger plot, you can plant a barberry in conjunction with Diabolo's vesicle. Trimmed at the same height, these plants create an amazingly harmonious ensemble.
Healing properties
Barberry is actively used in medicine, it positively affects the work of the digestive tract and endocrine system.
The most valuable component of its chemical composition is berberine, which has not yet been obtained by artificial means. It is effective in diabetes, tachycardia, has diuretic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. The optimal dosage form is alcohol tincture.
Interesting! In Chinese medicine, eye diseases (lotions) are treated with decoction of the cortex, and the roots are used to treat oncology and lung diseases.
Barberry Tanberg was created by breeders as an ornamental plant resistant to harsh climates. Its crown has several shades, easy to trim. Planting, with attention to the details of the process, gives a beautiful shrub after 1.5-2 years. Variety barberry Maria has great potential for design, allowing you to create interesting compositions for the landscape of the garden or site.
