Contents
Barberry Flamingo grows well in urban environments. It is a hardy and hardy plant. The shrub is resistant to frost and drought. It is actively used in landscape design. The bush owes its high decorativeness to dark purple leaves with an openwork pattern of silver and pink specks.
Description of barbaris Flamingo
Flamingo is a new variegated variety. It is part of a large group of Thunberg barberries, the most popular among professionals and amateur gardeners. The height of an adult bush reaches 1,5 m in height. A compact, dense crown is formed by upright salmon-colored shoots. Its width does not exceed 1,5 m. The branches are covered with thorns.
The surface of small, beautiful, dark purple leaves is covered with a graceful pattern of pink and silver spots. Barberry Thunberg Flamingo blooms in May. The flowers are rather inconspicuous. They are small, yellow, collected in inflorescences. The period of abundant flowering lasts 1-2 weeks.
The fruits are red, oblong in shape, ripen in early to mid-autumn. They can hang on bushes until spring. They have a bitter taste due to the high concentration of alkaloids.
Berberis thunbergii Flamingo is a hardy shrub. It can be grown in the 4th climatic zone. The roots and aerial part of an adult bush can withstand frosts down to -35 ° C. Young plants (1-3 years old) are covered for the winter.
Flamingo is a fast growing variety of Thunberg barberry. The growth of shoots per season is 20-30 cm. The bushes tolerate forming pruning well. The advantages of the variety include resistance to drought.
Barberry Flamingo in landscape design
The main direction of use in landscape design:
- hedge;
- group and single landings;
- rocky gardens;
- alpine hills.
The photo of the barberry Thunberg Flamingo shows how harmoniously it combines with coniferous plants. Its foliage stands out with a bright accent against the background:
- thuya (Smaragd, Elou Ribon, Golden Globe);
- juniper (Hibernika. Gold Cone, Suecica);
- oil (Nana, Alberta Globe. Conical).
The crown of barberry Thunberg Flamingo is easy to give any shape (ball, prism, cube). Dark purple leaves look good against golden forms. A relatively low, compact shrub planted along the banks of water bodies, in the center and along the edges of Japanese rocky gardens. They are decorated with alpine slides, flower beds with perennials.
Traditionally, Thunberg Flamingo barberry bushes form neat hedges. They are functional and decorative.
Berberis thunbergii Flamingo is planted alone in the lawn, its purple leaves stand out brightly against the background of the emerald carpet.
Planting and caring for barberry Thunberg Flamingo
Flamingos are decorative with their variegated foliage. The shrub is suitable for well-lit areas of the garden. This is an unpretentious plant, responsive to good care. Planting work is carried out in the spring from the end of March to mid-April or in the fall from September 15 to October 15.
Seedling and planting preparation
Gardening centers have a large selection of Thunberg barberry seedlings. The Flamingo variety is new, but you can buy it without any problems. Buying a plant in a container makes planting easier. The closed root system is not injured during transportation. The seedling quickly takes root.
Before planting, a barberry with an open root system is placed overnight in a bucket of water. All shoots are shortened by 5 buds.
Rules of landing
The description of any variety of Thunberg barberries refers to the unpretentiousness of the shrub. Flamingos are no exception. However, it is better to choose a place for landing illuminated or in openwork penumbra. Lack of light makes the color of the leaves less bright.
Seedlings grow best in neutral soil. Acidic soil is deoxidized a year before planting with lime or ash during planting. The root system of barberry Thunberg Flamingo does not tolerate stagnant water. The drainage layer in the landing pit excludes it.
Seedlings with an open root system are planted in early spring. Barberry in a container takes root at any time, even in summer. In group plantings, pits with a diameter of 50 cm and a depth of 35 cm are dug from each other at a distance of 1,5-2 m. A trench is prepared for a hedge, seedlings are placed every 50 cm.
The roots are covered with a mixture of garden soil, ash, humus. After watering, the soil is mulched with organic materials (compost, humus, bark, peat). In order for the Thunberg Flamingo barberry to take root faster, the shoots are shortened, leaving buds from 3 to 5 pieces.
Watering and top dressing
In regions where precipitation falls regularly, the shrub can not be watered. If it rains rarely, the bushes are watered every 7-10 days. So that moisture evaporates less, the soil around the barberry is mulched.
Feeding starts from the 2nd year of life. At the beginning of the growing season, during flowering, root dressing is carried out with fertilizers containing nitrogen. 30 g of urea is dissolved in a bucket of water. At the height of summer (July, August), a complex mineral fertilizer “Kemira Universal” is applied under the Flamingo barberry.
In autumn, granules are applied under each bush:
- superphosphate (15 g);
- potassium nitrate (10 g).
Trimming
Barberry Thunberg Flamingo tolerates haircut perfectly. It is necessary to maintain an attractive appearance of the bush. There are 3 types of pruning:
- sanitary;
- formative;
- rejuvenating.
Event Type | Work period | Description of work |
Pruning sanitary | Spring before the buds open | Cut out all shoots damaged by bad weather, disease, pests |
Autumn | ||
Pruning forming | Spring, immediately after sanitary brush cleaning | Cut out branches that grow close to the ground, and any extra shoots that thicken the crown |
Summer (early June) | With the help of a haircut, they maintain the necessary shape of the bush | |
Summer (beginning of August) | ||
Anti-aging pruning | Spring | The length of young shoots is reduced by ⅔, old branches are cut out |
Small geometric shapes in the form of a cube, pyramid, cone are formed from 1-2 bushes. To obtain sculptures of a large volume, 5-9 bushes are planted.
The first anti-aging pruning is carried out on an 8-year-old bush. It stimulates the growth of new shoots.
Preparation for winter
Mature bushes do not need shelter. When preparing for winter, it is enough to clean the near-trunk circle, add superphosphate, potassium nitrate to the soil, and carry out abundant water-charging watering.
Winter hardiness of young Flamingo barberry bushes is low. During the first 3 years they must be protected from frost. They cover the aerial part and the root zone of the bush. Various covering materials are used:
- lutrasil;
- burlap;
- lapnik.
Lutrasil and burlap are fixed with twine so that the wind does not rip it off. In winter, barberry bushes are covered with snow. With the advent of heat, the shelter is dismantled so that the shoots of the bush do not sag.
Reproduction
Barberry Flamingo can be propagated by seeds that ripen in autumn. They are sown before winter on a prepared ridge. Make grooves 3 cm deep, placing them at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.
Seeds are first cleaned of pulp, washed, briefly soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Seeds are laid in 5 cm increments, covered with garden soil mixed with humus. Shoots appear in spring. Before transplanting into the garden, Flamingo seedlings grow in the garden for 2 years.
If an adult plant needs to be transplanted to a new place, then the barberry is propagated by dividing the bush. It is dug up, the rhizome is divided, leaving several shoots in each division. Landing pits are prepared in advance. The survival rate with this method of reproduction is not 100%.
It is easier to propagate the Flamingo barberry with lignified cuttings. Doing this spring:
- Choose an annual branch.
- Take from her the middle part (5 cm).
- Leave 3-4 buds.
- For rooting organize a low greenhouse.
- Fill it with fertile soil.
- The top layer is filled with river sand.
- Barberry cuttings are dipped in a rooting stimulator, planted in a greenhouse at an angle to the ground according to a 5 cm x 15 cm scheme.
- The soil is moistened, the greenhouse is covered with a film (glass).
The appearance of leaves indicates that the cutting has taken root. After a year, it can be transplanted into the garden.
Layering is an even simpler breeding option for Flamingo barberry. Strong annual shoots are suitable for him. In the spring they are bent to the ground. Deepen a little. They are pinned in several places with staples made of thick wire. Fall asleep with soil. In autumn, roots form on the branch. Barberry seedlings are separated from the mother bush next spring.
Diseases and pests
The bush among insects has enemies. Several garden pests are considered dangerous for barberry Flamingos:
- aphids;
- leaflet;
- sawfly;
- flower moth.
With aphids on barberry leaves, they fight with soapy water. It is prepared from water (10 l) and laundry soap shavings (300 g). Helps from an insect 2% solution of “Fitoverma”. Other pests are destroyed with the help of “Chlorophos”. For spraying use a 3% solution.
Flamingo bushes are rare but can suffer from fungal diseases. One of them is powdery mildew, that is, a white coating on the leaves. You can cope with it with a solution of 1% colloidal sulfur. If the leaves of the barberry are covered with dark spots, this means that the shrub needs to be treated for spotting.
They fight it with copper oxychloride. 10 g of the product is dissolved in 30 liters of water. Barberry Flamingo is processed twice. Before buds and after flowering. Cracks and growths on the shoots are symptoms of bacteriosis. The affected branches of the barberry are cut out and destroyed, the bush is treated with Bordeaux liquid.
Conclusion
Barberry Flamingo will decorate the garden with colorful, bright foliage all season long. With it, you can create exquisite compositions in color and shape. A barberry hedge will decorate the landscape and protect from intruders.
You can learn about the merits and varietal diversity of Thunberg barberry from the video:
