First Editions® Cabernet® Barberry

Beautiful First Editions® Cabernet® Barberry bush (Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea 'Moretti Select') stays tight and low with very little need for pruning or maintenance! Enjoy a brilliant color display with this landscape workhorse.

You'll enjoy great color and texture! You'll relish the look of the bright crimson new growth that ages to deep burgundy. The color layering adds a rich, welcome depth to your landscape! As temperatures drop for fall, the foliage heats up, and this rounded shrub becomes full of leaves that glow with an intense orange and scarlet fire!

A truly beautiful plant, Cabernet requires very little pruning. These high-performance plants were field-tested for durability for many years to earn their right to wear the coveted First Editions® label. Hardy throughout USDA planting zones 4 to 7, Cabernet® grows just about 2 feet in height and 2-3 feet in width at maturity.

Tiny yellow spring blooms support local bees and butterflies and other beneficial pollinators. Over the season, they develop into a small harvest of berries for songbirds. But because of birds spreading the seeds, this species of Barberry does "too well" in certain areas of the country.

Nature Hills utilizes an online tool called Plant Sentry™. This system blocks the shipment of all invasive pests and plant material from entering your state. Type in your zip code in the Hardiness Zone Finder, located above the Plant Highlights to find out, or contact your local County Extension Office for more information.

Planting and Application:

Colorful Cabernet® Barberry fits in any landscape from formal to natural. Line your garden beds with an incredible ribbon of easy-care color near ground level. You'll love the performance and handsome good looks of these compact, purplish-red, sun-loving shrubs!

Cabernet® Barberry is a perfect fit...even in small space gardens. This tough plant is Waterwise once established, so it's perfect for Xeriscaping, en masse plantings, filling hard-to-mow hillsides, Rock Gardens, and along the sidewalk (just give everyone a few feet of space to avoid snagging clothing).

Add interest to mature foundation plantings with this easy-care choice. Expand the planting outward to include a solid low hedge, or have your evergreen shrubs pruned back to make room for a splash of Cabernet®.

As a bonus, these petite plants sport sharp thorns along the length of their stems. Try them as beautiful barrier plants where you want to control foot traffic and protect your property. This modern cultivar makes a great barrier plant beneath first-story windows and brightens a tired evergreen hedge or landscaping bed like few other plants can! Make a statement with showy Cabernet® as front-of-the-garden definition throughout your garden.

Plant them en masse 20 inches apart on center, measuring from the center of one to the center of the next. They'll fill in to create a seamless presentation. Add more rows staggered in a zigzagging planting pattern for an effective mass planting. Add color all season long!

Choose Cabernet® Barberry to reduce work for yourself and get your weekends back. Plant them along the front of your shrub border to hide the base of bare "legs" of taller shrubs. In a modern space, create a bold feature with a raised concrete planter bed with wide sides for seating. Plant a massed monoculture of Cabernet® in the center and place those unforgettable hues on full display.

These are an excellent partner for mature evergreen shrubs and trees. Create a curved mulched bed on the sunny side; add Red Twig Dogwood, Ornamental Grasses, and Shrub Roses, and incorporate the glowing Cabernet® Barberry for a spectacular display all year. Create big splashes of color that easily stand up to urban environments and pollution.

You can also use Cabernet® Barberry as a modern twist on traditional Boxwood edging. Create open rectangular beds and fill them with Cabernet Splash™ Blueberry or First Editions® Marmalade® Potentilla.

• Crimson New Growth & Tiny Yellow Blooms in Spring
• Incredible Rich Burgundy To Purple Color
• Stays Tight, Low-Growing & Compact
• Supports Beneficial Pollinators & Birds
• Orange & Scarlet Fall Color & Showy Red Berries for Winter
• Colorful Barriers, Hedges, En Masse, Edging, Borders & Foundation Plantings

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Achieve the best color in full sun, where they'll get at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. The color won't be as vivid in partially shaded locations...the more sun, the better! Well-drained soils with Nature Hills Root Booster are important to keep the root system happy. Elevate the plants in a planting mound or raised bed, if you need to improve drainage. Give it a careful schedule of moderate water the first season in your landscape. After that, Cabernet® does become waterwise, but you'll still want to give supplemental water during extended drought.

Light pruning is only necessary to shape it and is best done after the flowers have finished. You'll want to wear thick gloves when working with Barberry, and place the trimmings in yard waste bags...not the compost pile.

Provide a nice 3-4 inch layer of arborist mulch to protect the top of the roots. Fertilize in early spring with a formula for acid-loving plants according to label directions. Apply a three-inch layer of pine bark or pine straw mulch, pulling it back from directly touching the stems for proper air circulation.

Deer doesn't prefer the taste, but we always recommend Deer Repellent Spray on new plantings from day one if you live in an area with heavy pressure. Reapply according to the directions through the growing season.

• Full Sun/Partial Shade
• Acidic Well-Drained Soil
• Moderate Moisture Needs - Waterwise Once Established
• Rarely Needs Pruning - Prune After Flowering Only
• Pest & Disease Resistant, Very Cold-Hardy & Deer Seldom Bother Barberry

Order your First Editions® Cabernet® Barberry from the environmentally conscious growers at Nature Hills today and feel good about your purchase from day one!