Berberis buds

One of the March-flowering shrubs of our garden is the Barberry (Berberis darwinii), an evergreen with prickly leaves. It is a plant that requires annual pruning and those leaves have to be handled with care. However, the local house sparrows don't mind the prickles and can regularly be seen sheltering in the bush, indifferent to people passing close by. The photograph was taken before the flowers opened, and the buds were making a fine display, almost looking like berries.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Berberis thunbergii

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