Dwarf purple barberry
Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana'
- Size
- 0.6 m tall, 0.7 m across
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardy to
- -30 degrees
- Flowers
- May
- Edging a bed or a path
- A hedge
- Leaves worth having
- Autumn colour
Safety
- Eaten, it may upset a stomach.
- A dog that chews it may get an upset stomach.
- A cat that chews it may get an upset stomach.
- Thorny: not under a window and not along a path children run down.
- Note: can spread; plant responsibly and check local rules
Reviewed and approved for Poland by a qualified gardener with thirty years of practice, 22 September 2026.
What it needs, what it becomes
- Type
- Shrubs
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Size when mature
- 0.6 m tall, 0.7 m across
- Light
- Full sun
- Moisture
- Dry, medium
- Soil
- loam, sand, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 8
- Hardy to
- -30 degrees
- Flowers
- May
- For pollinators
- Good
- Water
- Low water
- Upkeep
- Little
- Growth
- Slow
- In Europe
- Introduced
- Spreading risk
- Moderate, plant with care
- If eaten
- People: Can upset a stomach · Dogs: Can upset a stomach · Cats: Can upset a stomach
- Worth knowing
- Has thorns · Drops fruit, which makes a mess over paving
Design a garden with this plant
The studio draws a plan for your own plot and picks plants that suit its light and soil. It needs no account.
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Lists it is on
- Plants for bees and butterflies60 plantsForage from early spring to late autumn, with each plant's flowering months stated.
- Drought tolerant plants42 plantsA garden that gets through July without a hose starts with the plant list.
- Plants for a hedge13 plantsSpecies that take clipping and close into a line, with the mature height of each.
