Plant of the Month: Berberis x stenophylla (April 2025)

If you have a shady area in your garden that needs ‘lightening up’, then perhaps consider the rosemary barbary. This shrub is looking fantastic in Linda B’s garden at the moment and I’m hoping that it will seed on my side of the fence in the near future.

Her Berberis is growing on a raised area so it gets good drainage, tolerating the shady side and facing north.  So, it’s a tough, evergreen shrub, liking good drainage and drought-tolerant.  Its tiny, narrow leaves (much like rosemary) are a leathery green, with a sharp point to the tips.

What I admire about this shrub is its elegant, narrow, arching branches, that are, at the moment, covered in cascades of buds and fragrant golden-yellow nectar-rich flowers, which will flower through into May.  In autumn the edible blue-black berries are sought after by birds and can also be made into Barberry Jelly.

The foliage (which has a blue-green tinge to the undersides) and its flowers compliment other species flowering at the moment, such as Euphorbia wulfenii, Helleborus argutifolius and swathes of mauve-purple honesty etc.

Berberis x stenophylla is a worthy recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit and I, for one, would like it to grow it in a difficult, shady area of my garden!  It looks good all year-round and would give this patch a bit of the WOW factor.

Anna L