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Barberry Flamingo grows well in urban environments. This is an unpretentious and hardy plant. The shrub is frost and drought resistant. It is actively used in landscape design. The bush owes its high decorative effect to dark purple leaves with an openwork pattern of silver and pink specks.
Description of barberry Flamingo
Flamingo is a new variegated variety. It belongs to the 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. The compact, dense crown is formed by erect shoots of salmon color. Its width does not exceed 1.5 m. The branches are covered with thorns.
The surface of the small, beautiful, dark purple leaves is covered with an exquisite pattern of pink and silvery spots. The Thunberg Flamingo barberry blooms in May. The flowers are rather inconspicuous. They are small in size, 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. Their taste is bitter due to the high concentration of alkaloids.
Berberis thunbergii Flamingo is a hardy shrub. It can be grown in the 4th climate zone. The roots and aerial part of an adult bush can withstand temperatures 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 formative pruning well. The advantages of the variety include drought resistance.
Barberry Flamingo in landscape design
The main direction of use in landscape design:
- hedge;
- group and single landings;
- rocky gardens;
- alpine slides.
The photo of the Thunberg Flamingo barberry shows how harmoniously it combines with conifers. Its foliage stands out with a bright accent against the background:
- thuja (Smaragd, Elou Ribon, Golden Globe);
- juniper (Hibernika. Gold Cone, Suecica);
- oil (Nana, Alberta Globe. Conica).
The crown of the Thunberg barberry Flamingo is easy to give any shape (ball, prism, cube). Dark purple leaves look good against golden shapes. A relatively low, compact shrub is 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, with the help of Thunberg flamingo barberry bushes, neat hedges are formed. They are functional and decorative.
Berberis thunbergii Flamingo is planted singly on the lawn, its purple leaves stand out brightly against the background of the emerald carpet.
Planting and caring for the Thunberg Flamingo barberry
Flamingos are decorative with their variegated foliage. Well-lit areas of the garden are suitable for the shrub. This is an unpretentious plant, responsive to good care. Planting works are carried out in spring from late March to mid-April or in autumn from September 15 to October 15.
Seedling and planting plot preparation
In the centers of horticulture there is a large selection of Thunberg barberry seedlings. The Flamingo variety is new, but you can get it without any problems. Buying a container plant makes planting easier. The closed root system is not injured during transportation. The seedling takes root quickly.
Before planting, barberry with an open root system is placed in a bucket of water overnight. All shoots are shortened by 5 buds.
Landing rules
In the description of any variety of Thunberg barberries, it is said about the unpretentiousness of the shrub. Flamingos are no exception. However, it is better to choose a place for planting illuminated or in an openwork partial shade. Lack of light makes the color of the leaves less bright.
Saplings grow better in neutral soil. Sour soil is deoxidized a year before planting with lime or ash when planting. The root system of the Thunberg Flamingo barberry does not tolerate stagnant water well. The drainage layer in the planting 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, 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 feeding
In regions where rainfall occurs regularly, the shrub does not need to 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.
Top dressing begins from the 2nd year of life. At the beginning of the growing season, during flowering, root dressing is carried out with fertilizers containing nitrogen. Dissolve 30 g of urea 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 the fall, granules are introduced under each bush:
- superphosphate (15 g);
- potassium nitrate (10 g).
Pruning
The barberry of Thunberg Flamingo tolerates a haircut perfectly. It is necessary to maintain the attractive appearance of the bush. There are 3 types of trimming:
- sanitary;
- formative;
- anti-aging.
Event type | Period of work | Description of work |
Sanitary pruning | Spring before the buds bloom | Cut out all shoots damaged by bad weather, disease, pests |
Autumn | ||
Forming pruning | Spring, immediately after the sanitary cleaning of the bush | Cut branches growing close to the ground, and all excess shoots that thicken the crown |
Summer (early June) | With the help of a haircut, they maintain the necessary shape of the bush | |
Summer (early August) | ||
Pruning anti-aging | Spring | The length of young shoots is reduced by ⅔, old branches are cut |
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.
Preparing for winter
Mature shrubs do not need shelter. In preparation for winter, it is enough to clean the trunk circle, add superphosphate, potassium nitrate to the soil, and carry out abundant water-charging irrigation.
Winter hardiness of young bushes of the Flamingo barberry is low. They must be protected from frost for the first 3 years. They cover the aboveground part and the root zone of the bush. Various covering materials are used:
- lutrasil;
- burlap;
- spruce branches.
Lutrasil and burlap are fixed with twine so that the wind does not rip off. In winter, the barberry bushes are covered with snow. With the arrival of heat, the shelter is disassembled so that the shoots of the bush do not mute.
Reproduction
Flamingo barberry can be propagated by seeds that ripen in autumn. They sow them before winter on a ridge prepared in advance. Make grooves 3 cm deep, placing them at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.
The seeds are first cleaned of pulp, washed, soaked briefly in a solution of potassium permanganate.Seeds are placed in 5 cm increments, covered with garden soil mixed with humus. Shoots appear in the 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 cut. 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 a one-year branch.
- Take the middle part (5 cm) from it.
- 3-4 buds are left.
- For rooting, a low greenhouse is organized.
- Fill it with fertile soil.
- River sand is poured in the top layer.
- 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 pattern.
- The soil is moistened, the greenhouse is covered with a film (glass).
The appearance of the leaves indicates that the stalk is rooted. After a year, it can be transplanted into the garden.
Layers are an even simpler breeding option for the Flamingo barberry. Strong annual shoots are suitable for him. In the spring they are bent to the ground. They deepen a little. They are nailed in several places with staples made of thick wire. Cover with soil. In the fall, roots form on the branch. Barberry seedlings are separated from the mother bush next spring.
Diseases and pests
The bush has enemies among insects. Several garden pests are considered dangerous for the Flamingo barberry:
- aphids;
- leaflet;
- sawfly;
- flower moth.
Aphids on barberry leaves are fought with soapy water. It is prepared from water (10 l) and shavings of laundry soap (300 g). Helps against insects 2% solution "Fitoverma". Other pests are destroyed with 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 deal 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. Dissolve 30 g of the product in 10 liters of water. Barberry Flamingo is processed twice. Before bud 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. With its help, you can create compositions exquisite in color and shape. A hedge made of barberry will decorate the landscape, protect from uninvited guests.
You can find out about the advantages and varietal diversity of the Thunberg barberry from the video:
