Purple Barberry, Purple Berberis (berberis thunbergii atropurpurea)
SKU:
£1.15
£1.15 - £14.00
per item
Seed Prices
1 gram (approx 77 seeds) £1.15
2 grams (approx 154 seeds) £1.75
5 grams (approx 385 seeds) £2.95
10 grams (approx 770 seeds) £4.50
25 grams (approx 1925 seeds) £8.50
50 grams (approx 3850 seeds) £14.00
Use the drop down button to select the seed quantity
The purple barberry is the purple-red leaved variety of Japanese Barberry. Native to Japan and eastern Asia it is a thorny shrub that makes a great hedge plant or specimen bush growing up to 2-3 metres in height.
The small rounded leaves are deep reddish-purple leaves through the spring and summer becoming deep red in autumn. Small red-tinged pale yellow flowers appear in Spring and are followed by glossy red berries.
With its vandal-proof, vicious spines and springy, arching stems, this medium sized shrub makes a very good looking, prickly hedge.
Grows vigorously in any well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade
The seed naturally has a deep dormancy which requires a degree of patience to overcome, full details on how to do this are sent with every order.
The small rounded leaves are deep reddish-purple leaves through the spring and summer becoming deep red in autumn. Small red-tinged pale yellow flowers appear in Spring and are followed by glossy red berries.
With its vandal-proof, vicious spines and springy, arching stems, this medium sized shrub makes a very good looking, prickly hedge.
Grows vigorously in any well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade
The seed naturally has a deep dormancy which requires a degree of patience to overcome, full details on how to do this are sent with every order.
Germination, Sowing and After Care Information for
Purple Berberis (berberis thunbergii atropurpurea)
Berberis seeds have a deep dormancy within them, this requires a degree of patience to overcome and it is usually quite easy to get high levels of germination if the correct procedures are followed.
First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite or even just pure sharp sand has worked well for me. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die. Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that their is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip-lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied. Then write the date on the bag so that you know when the pretreatment was started.
The seeds require a cold period to break the dormancy that is naturally found within them, this is easily achieved by placing the prepared bag of seeds and compost mix in the fridge (4 Celsius or 39F) for between 6 and 10 weeks. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures when they are ready to do so, if they do, just remove them from the bag and carefully plant them up. Seeds that are ready to germinate will have become plump and soft. For small quantities I tend to just leave the seeds in the fridge and remove the germinated ones as they arise and plant them up. I find that this way you can get the maximum number to germinate. After a few months any remaining ungerminated seeds can have the cold pretreatment process repeated again- several times if necessary. For larger quantities it is easiest to sow the seeds in a well prepared seedbed once the cold pretreatment has finished and wait for the seeds to germinate. Seeds that are ready to germinate will be plump and soft, if they are not, the pretreatment is not yet complete or has been ineffective due to incorrect temperatures or incorrect moisture content of the pretreatment medium.
It has also been found that fluctuating pretreatment temperatures can give the best germination results and I have myself had excellent results by keeping the mixed seeds in a cold shed through the winter for the cold stage of their pretreatment and allowing the temperature to fluctuate naturally.
Do not expose newly sown seeds to high temperatures (above 25 Celsius) otherwise a secondary dormancy may be induced and the seeds will not germinate until they have been pretreated again. Germinated seeds can be planted in deep pots or plug trays in a good quality compost. Keep the seedlings well watered and weed free. Growth in the first year is usually between 5 and 15cm and usually trouble free.Growth accelerates rapidly in the second year. Allow them to grow for 1 or 2 years before planting them in a permanent position.
First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite or even just pure sharp sand has worked well for me. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die. Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that their is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip-lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied. Then write the date on the bag so that you know when the pretreatment was started.
The seeds require a cold period to break the dormancy that is naturally found within them, this is easily achieved by placing the prepared bag of seeds and compost mix in the fridge (4 Celsius or 39F) for between 6 and 10 weeks. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures when they are ready to do so, if they do, just remove them from the bag and carefully plant them up. Seeds that are ready to germinate will have become plump and soft. For small quantities I tend to just leave the seeds in the fridge and remove the germinated ones as they arise and plant them up. I find that this way you can get the maximum number to germinate. After a few months any remaining ungerminated seeds can have the cold pretreatment process repeated again- several times if necessary. For larger quantities it is easiest to sow the seeds in a well prepared seedbed once the cold pretreatment has finished and wait for the seeds to germinate. Seeds that are ready to germinate will be plump and soft, if they are not, the pretreatment is not yet complete or has been ineffective due to incorrect temperatures or incorrect moisture content of the pretreatment medium.
It has also been found that fluctuating pretreatment temperatures can give the best germination results and I have myself had excellent results by keeping the mixed seeds in a cold shed through the winter for the cold stage of their pretreatment and allowing the temperature to fluctuate naturally.
Do not expose newly sown seeds to high temperatures (above 25 Celsius) otherwise a secondary dormancy may be induced and the seeds will not germinate until they have been pretreated again. Germinated seeds can be planted in deep pots or plug trays in a good quality compost. Keep the seedlings well watered and weed free. Growth in the first year is usually between 5 and 15cm and usually trouble free.Growth accelerates rapidly in the second year. Allow them to grow for 1 or 2 years before planting them in a permanent position.
