Choose barberry by species first: Japanese, Korean, a California native, or an evergreen Darwin type.
Choose Japanese, Korean, a California native, or an evergreen Darwin type
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | A deciduous burgundy or gold mound where it is legal | Planting it where sale is banned, or treating a dwarf tag as a 6-foot hedge |
| Korean | A deciduous East Asian shrub for flowers and fall color | Calling it the banned Japanese hedge |
| California native | Nevin's or coast barberry from a nursery | Digging wild Nevin's stands, or buying Oregon grape by mistake |
| Evergreen | Darwin, warty, or × stenophylla for spring flowers and a dense screen | Expecting burgundy Japanese foliage on an evergreen |
Know your USDA hardiness zone before you pick a type of berberis that will take your winter. Type your ZIP below.
2023 USDA ZIP listings (PRISM / USDA-ARS). Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone · Official USDA map.
Read the species on the tag. Barberries share well-drained ground; they do not share one outline. [1] [2] Japanese kinds drop their leaves. Darwin keeps them. [3] [4] A dwarf Japanese mound stays about 2 to 3 feet. An upright gold column is still Japanese, just a different shape. Darwin can reach 10 feet as an evergreen screen. Nevin's is a nursery plant only — it is endangered in the wild. Once you know the kind, site it on How to Grow Barberry.
What is the difference between Japanese and Darwin barberry?
Japanese barberry is deciduous Berberis thunbergii with smooth leaves and a single spine. Darwin barberry is evergreen, with orange flowers and holly-like leaves.
Browse by kind
Japanese barberry
Crimson Pygmy is a dwarf burgundy mound. Golden Rocket is an upright gold column. Both are Berberis thunbergii and seed into woods in much of the East.
Korean barberry
Korean barberry is a deciduous East Asian shrub for spring flowers and fall color. It is not the Japanese hedge, and it is not a sterile thunbergii.
California natives
Nevin's barberry is a southern California endemic — buy a nursery plant; do not dig wild stands. Coast barberry is the West-coast evergreen with holly-like leaflets, not Oregon grape.
Evergreen Darwin, warty, and golden
Darwin barberry has orange spring flowers and holly-like leaves. Warty barberry is a compact evergreen with silver leaf backs. Golden barberry is the arching × stenophylla hedge, not a gold Japanese barberry.
Culture stays the same drain. Pick by species outline, not by a shop list of extra names.
Is coast barberry the same as Oregon grape?
No. Coast barberry in this catalog is Berberis pinnata. Oregon grape is Mahonia aquifolium.
If the tag says only barberry, read the Latin before you buy — Japanese is not Darwin.
FAQ
Is Golden Nugget or Golden Bonanza in this list?
No. Those gold Japanese names are not in this catalog. Golden Rocket is the gold upright here. They still want the same drain if the tag says thunbergii.
Are sterile Japanese barberries in this list?
No. WorryFree and Sunjoy groups are not cards here. Some states still regulate all thunbergii unless a cultivar is exempted. Check your extension.
Is Korean barberry the banned hedge?
No. The banned hedge in much of the East is Japanese barberry. Korean is a different species. Check your local list before you plant either.
Related guides
References
This note is part of Berberis Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors