Orange Rocket Barberry

People across the United States love the amazing range of tones on this unique upright Barberry shrub! The Orange Rocket Barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Orange Rocket') has many features that make it an outstanding choice for your garden, especially in tough climactic conditions!

With the classic Barberry traits and a strongly columnar growth habit, the Southern Living Plants award-winning Orange Rocket grows to a nice height but stays narrow.

This ornamental shrub is cherished for its spring and fall color. You'll love the new spring growth and young leaves that emerge a pale, sweet apricot then age into a deeper coral and finally into a brick red.

Yes, all those hues are on the same plant - at the same time! Orange Rocket Columnar Barberry is very showy! People will definitely notice this plant!

The vivid spring leaves gradually age into a vibrant, bright green for summer. For the rest of the summer, Orange Rocket Barberry is a garden workhorse, with a nice, tidy, and upright shape. But in the fall, you'll have another incredible color show. As nights start getting cool, the fall foliage becomes a brilliant ruby red that lasts a long time.

This columnar Barberry can stand up to Zone 4 cold winters but can take the heat and high humidity of Zone 9 summers. Mother Nature can dish out her worst, and Orange Rocket performs beautifully. This vigorous plant is even deer-resistant thanks to the thorns!

While it is true that while some Barberry cultivars are invasive in some areas, they may not be invasive in all areas. So Nature Hills has taken the initiative to develop our own compliance company called Plant Sentry™ so that you will not be able to even purchase a plant that your state has prohibited because of invasiveness, insects, or disease. Plants may be available on our website, but if your state prohibits that plant from being shipped to you, the sale will not go through. We have a full-time compliance officer who keeps those restrictions for all states current and up to date at all times. We are the only nursery selling plants online that is fully compliant according to each state's rules.

Landscape Application:

Orange Rocket Barberry looks and acts like an exclamation point for your landscape! Place one near that special work of garden art to call attention to it. Orange Rocket can be used as a showy accent or specimen to accent your space.

Use Orange Rocket Barberry near your front entrance to boost your home's curb appeal. Just get ready cars may slow down as they drive past your house in spring and again in fall. Or use multiples in a shorter hedge or foundation planting. Orange Rocket Barberry makes an incredible addition to foundation plantings. This plant won't grow tall enough to obscure your view from the front window!

This Barberry is easy to squeeze into almost any landscape space you have! Let them grow naturally or shear them into a formal hedge. They make fantastic low hedges that steal the show. As you can imagine, its columnar shape really lends itself to hedging! Repeat them at intervals all along your garden border to create vignettes or other special garden hideaways and nooks.

Use a hedge of this colorful deciduous shrub as a backdrop to your other garden beds while screening out a messy neighbor. The fiery color all growing season is sure to light up your firepit or provide privacy around the pool. The classic upright form is perfect for making colorful, narrow hedges for sunny locations where it is hot and dry.

The tiny thorns on the erect branches make this plant the perfect barrier plant, too. Protect your property with style! No one will want to walk through them when you plant them 2 to 3 feet apart on center. Or closer at 18 inches on center for a more uniform, tight hedge and seamless wall of orange!

Use this easy-care shrub in garden large containers. You can try them around the back deck or punctuate your patio. Imagine how this skinny plant can become a beacon in autumn. One would look terrific in planters on your patio or one on either side of your front door for a unique burst of color.

They are perfect partners for so many other plants, including prairie natives and Ornamental Grasses. Pair it with early flowering Quince shrubs and any yellow-toned groundcover. Or, allow Orange Rocket to pop against the backdrop of evergreen trees and shrubs. This visual display acts as a perfect backdrop to other spring-blooming plants. Try mixing it with Golden Rocket for a more vibrant effect!

Commercial property owners, take note. If you use Orange Rocket Barberry on your property, you will drive eyes to your side of the street. And don't worry, you won't have to fuss with this rugged little plant!

• Apricot to Coral-Orange to Brick Spring Color Ages Bright Green All Summer
• Thorny Stems Match The Foliages Changing Hue
• Brilliant Ruby Red Fall Color!
• Useful Columnar Growth Habit - Strong Vertical Form Stays Narrow
• Tolerates Road Salt & Urban Conditions
• Excellent Hedge Plants, Great in Containers & Pretty Barrier Plant

#ProPlantTips for Care:

For the best color, plant it in full sun. It will tolerate partial shade in hotter climates, as well. Just be sure to allow them morning sun and at least 5-6 hours of direct sun a day for that color!

Like many plants, Barberry needs well-drained soil. If you see puddles in your planting site after a rain, or after you dig a deep hole (call your Diggers Hotline first), you'll want to improve the drainage by creating a garden berm or raised bed. Add 18 - 24 inches of soil in a large mound, then plant in that mound.

When your plants are young, give them moderate amounts of water regularly to help their roots get established in your soil. Give young plants water if you have an extended drought. After the first few seasons, it will become tolerant of drought.

Pruning for wayward branches can be done at any time. Pruning the top on a regular basis allows the sides to fill in more heavily. It's a beautiful look!

But before shearing your hedge, you might want to enjoy the first flush of new growth in spring and let the bees have the nectar from the tiny bell-shaped yellow blossoms. The color and the hum of pollinators truly are spectacular!

Older plants can be rejuvenated by renewal pruning. Completely remove several of the older, fatter stems every 3-5 years, cutting them out all the way down to the ground. Allow the younger thinner stems to remain and they will regrow fast with fresh, more vigorous, and colorful growth.

• Easy Care & Cold Hardy - Can Take High Heat & Humidity
• Best Color In Full Sun (Some Part Shade In Hot Climates)
• Needs Well-Drained Soil
• Moderate to Low Moisture - Drought Tolerant Once Established
• Prune Spring After First Flush Of Color/Flowers
• Sophisticated, Easy Care Shrub
• Displays Good Rust Resistance & Rarely Bothered by Deer

Get a columnar color boost! If you want an outstanding specimen plant that won't outgrow its space, use Orange Rocket. This smaller shrub makes a big statement. Orange Rocket Barberry is a colorful ornamental that delivers a lot for its small size. Order today!