Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’

Botanical Name: Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’

Common Name:
Crimson Pygmy Japanese Barberry

Plant Hardiness: Zone 4

Flower: Not showy. Small yellow flowers hang below the branches after the leaves open in April

Bloom Time: April

Foliage: Purplish red foliage holds its color best in full sun. Will be greener in the shade

Fruit: Small red berry in the fall – not profuse on this cultivar

Habit: Low growing tight mound with very dense branching. Responds well to shearing

Size: Reaches only two feet tall and four feet wide

Sun Exposure: Full sun for best foliage color

Native Habitat: Japan

Other Features: Stems have single spines at each node. This plant is very adaptable and will tolerate dry conditions

Category:

Description

Description: ‘Crimson Pygmy’ is a form that grows only about 2 feet tall and perhaps 4 or more feet wide with good red-purplish foliage when grown in full sun. It is an excellent low-growing plant that can give a contrast of color in rock gardens, or it can be used to give some red color in a dwarf conifer garden since it stays small. It could also be used for low hedging as it can be sheared as well as the larger type plant. Barberry is quite resistant to most diseases and insects and will tolerate relatively poor soil conditions, as well as droughty areas once it is well established. ‘Crimson Pygmy’ is plenty hardy, but remember it is deciduous so it doesn’t look like much during the winter. Although, as a low mound of tightly woven branches, the effect that it gives in the winter months is not unpleasant.