In our garden are two Berberis (Barberry) shrubs that came with the property when we bought it. They represent the two main types of this plant i.e. Berberis darwinii and Berberis thunbergii. Given a choice we would not have had them in the garden. But, they are there, are well established, and look fine. Given that, you might wonder what our objection is to the plants. Well, both need an annual trim to keep them manageable and to promote flowering. And both of them feature wicked prickles (see two in the photograph above) that make this, and the disposal of their clippings, a very unpleasant task.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10
