Barberry Sunjoy Orange Pillar

Add sunset colors to your landscape by planting Sunjoy® Orange Pillar™  Barberry. This slim, upright-growing shrub is stunning in color and form. The intense orange leaves develop a faint lime green cast that seems to glow from the inside of the shrub. Autumn is when this shrub really stuns. Orange Pillar™ Barberry turns fiery shades of reddish-orange to rival the maples in your landscape. Sunjoy® Orange Pillar™ Barberry is the vertical form of the popular Neo® Barberry and looks great planted in the same mixed shrub border. 

Barberry is a very tough shrub that has incredible drought resistance once established. This deciduous shrub is built to withstand areas of pollution and salt spray with ease. The spiny stems are highly deer, slug, and snail resistant, making this an excellent shrub for use as a screening hedge to keep two- and four-footed wildlife away. The slim build of Orange Pillar™  Barberry makes it a wonderful thriller element for any large seasonal mixed planter. The color of the foliage persists late into the fall before falling and revealing a well-branched structure.

Sunjoy® Orange Pillar™ Care

Plant Orange Pillar® in a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. Shade early or late in the day is acceptable and will not affect the deep orange color. Average soil texture and a neutral pH are ideal for planting this shrub in the garden. Container-grown Barberry will require a peat-free all-purpose potting mix and a pot that has excellent drainage. Fertilize Orange Pillar sparingly since this shrub does not need fertile soil to thrive. Apply an annual topdressing of a granular, balanced, slow-release feed. Water newly planted shrubs consistently for the first season to ensure that a strong root system establishes. Watering sessions spaced 2-3 times a week instead of daily watering will force the roots to grow deeper in the ground to search for moisture. Container-grown Barberry will need more frequent watering and should be checked daily in hot or dry weather.  

All of the Sunjoy™ Barberry varieties do not require much pruning. The growth habits are more compact than older types of Barberry. Only remove winter-damaged stems in the early spring as needed. Barberry does make a much more colorful and disease-free alternative to Boxwood for small topiaries or low hedging. Their slow growth means they only need clipping back once a season to remain tidy and dense.

Sunjoy® Orange Pillar™ Barberry Spacing

The mature height for Orange Pillar™ is 4 feet with a spread of 18 inches to 3 feet. Space each shrub 24 inches on the center when planting multiple plants as a hedge. Specimens should be planted at a slightly farther distance for adequate air circulation.  Container-grown Orange Pillar™ will require a pot with at least a 16-inch diameter and a 5-gallon capacity to counterbalance any top-heaviness.