First Editions® Lambrusco™ Barberry Bush

Yum! Like its namesake world-famous table wine that goes well with earthy Italian cuisine, the First Editions® Lambrusco™ Barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'BailElla') is smooth and very easy to live with! Rely on its easy-care, colorful performance throughout your landscape!

Catch the eye with an intense red coloration of new leaves in spring. Also in spring, Lambrusco™ is punctuated with delicate yellow flowers. These high-contrast blooms may be small, but they deliver a big visual impact against the dark leaves and feed the bees and butterflies! Feel good about supporting critical beneficial pollinators in your area.

You'll be thrilled with their dramatic color all season; starting with its deliciously dark red and burgundy foliage. This densely held, fine-textured foliage puts on a showy display from spring through fiery fall. As the season progresses, you'll start seeing more burgundy overtones that hold true, even in high heat. Once the nights start to cool down for fall nights, watch for the leaves to regain their bold red hue.

The old-fashioned Barberry species is regulated in several areas, so Nature Hills uses Plant Sentry™, an online shipping manager for regulated plant materials. Just type in your zip code above the Plant Highlights to see if it can be safely shipped into your area.

Improved cultivars like First Editions® Lambrusco™ Barberry are studied carefully for high performance without hassle!

Landscape Application:

Gain a low, spreading accent with incredible red, plummy purple, and burgundy foliage all season. The Lambrusco™ is a lower-growing plant that spreads wide and makes exceptional red-leaved groundcover in sunny locations.

It's so easy to add color to bare ground and create an eye-catching display! Plant Lambrusco™ three feet apart on center, measuring from the center of one to the center of the next. Fill in with zigzagging, staggered rows, and finish with mulch between plants. Keep new mass plantings of this excellent groundcover weeded as the plants grow together and touch.

This ornamental plant makes a wonderful specimen, low hedge or mass planting because of this attractive plant's outstanding color intensity! Decorate for your season of football watch parties with the saturated hues of their glossy, oval leaves.

Plan for its full height and mature spread! This compact shrub has a lush appearance and foliage that grows all the way to the ground. No need for a facer in front! In fact, people use these valuable spreaders as a modern edging plant to hide the "leggy" stems of other shrubs.

Style them as you like...they work beautifully in Asian-inspired and other chic, streamlined designs. Make a showy backdrop for smaller perennials...the easy way. Place Lambrusco™ in the mid-border of mixed garden beds to help anchor the design. Run a row of them along the sunny side of a privacy hedge where they will dress up a tired row of evergreens. What could be easier to add dynamic depth of color to mature plantings?

Create a beautiful lawn planting with a grouping of Lambrusco™ and Groundcover Roses in front. Jazz things up with our expertly shaped Topiary trees at the back and sides. Use a single plant in a large container as an exceptional specimen that also adds height to the surrounding beds.

In areas with heavy deer pressure, savvy property owners add a gorgeous row of Lambrusco™ Barberry to protect their landscaping investment. Deer don't prefer these pretty shrubs...but butterflies love them!

Lambrusco™ makes a hard-working barrier plant. Their spines help deter unwanted foot traffic, and they'll stay low enough to be used under windows - adding to your peace of mind and home security around your first-story windows.

Urban tolerant and able to withstand road salt, once established, Lambrusco™ is hearty and very low-maintenance with minimal pruning requirements. Water-wise, this is a perfect choice for wise homeowners and commercial property managers alike. This durable choice becomes a blissfully drought-tolerant plant for xeriscaped designs, Rock Gardens, and even Firewise landscaping defense plans!

• Sprightly Red Foliage In Spring - Deepens to Dark Burgundy
• Densely Held Foliage, Compact, Rounded Shrub & Spreading Growth Habit
• Tiny Yellow Spring Blooms - Support Beneficial Pollinators
• Bold Red Fall Color
• Can Be Grown in Large Outdoor Containers
• Barrier Plants, Hedges, Facer Plants, Borders & Edging Specimens!

#ProPlantTips for Care

Japanese Barberries do their best with full sun and well-drained soil. For the best foliage color, give them at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Barberry prefers any kind of soil that drains well and is slightly acidic in pH.

For the first several weeks in the ground, use the Finger Test daily. Poke your finger in the soil next to the plant every other day or so. Is the soil starting to get dry? Drag the hose out and saturate the area. Is the ground under the surface still moist? Skip watering that day. Water new plantings on a consistent schedule the first year. We also recommend that you give Lambrusco™ Barberry periodic supplemental water during hot, dry weather.

A 3-4 inch deep layer of arborist mulch helps the root system stay cool but pull it back to avoid touching the stems or crown directly. Nature Hills Root Booster supports the root's ability to access micronutrients, and it never "wears out".

Prune or shear in spring to shape, but invest in thick, leather gloves to protect your hands. Apply a slow-release fertilizer at that time, following label directions.

If you live in an area with deer, we recommend you always use Repellent spray starting from day one. Reapply according to the directions through the growing season. Don't take chances with hungry deer.

• Full Sun For Best Color
• Any Well-Drained Slightly Acidic Soil Type
• Moderate to Low Moisture Needs - Drought Tolerant Once Established
• Prune In Spring - Blooms On Old Wood
• Deer Leave This Selection Alone
• Urban Tolerant & Drought Resistant Once Established

Add rich color to keep your interest all season! With its compact, tight, and spreading habit we'll have a hard time keeping this desirable variety in stock! Place your order for First Editions® Lambrusco™ Barberry today at NatureHills.com. Salute!