The Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry, otherwise known as the Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) or Japanese Barberry ‘Crimson Pygmy’, ‘Crimson Pygmy’ Dwarf Japanese Barberry, ‘Crimson Pygmy’ Barberry, Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Crimson Pygmy’, Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Atropurpurea Nana’, Japanese barberry ‘Atropurpurea Nana’, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and moderate growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its red colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
In order to take proper care of your Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry wants regular watering to enhance fruit production but as a landscape plant, too much water will be a problem.
- Light: Keep your Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry belongs to the Berberidaceae family, the genus Berberis and the species Thunbergii, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) (BUR-bur-is thun-BER-jee-eye).
As with other Berberis’s, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) will be most used to the heat zones in the 5 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4b, 4a, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a, 9b, 9a and the ideal climate zone is between 2B, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, A3.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry is a relatively moderate grower, which makes things somewhat easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) can grow up to 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) and 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm).
These dimensions make the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry a relatively medium shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful rounded shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 24″ – 36″ (60cm – 90cm) free so the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) wants regular watering to enhance fruit production but as a landscape plant, too much water will be a problem.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively low needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
However, in our experience, the best solution to knowing the right amount of water for your Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry is with the ‘thumb’ technique. Basically, you insert your finger into the soil, and based if you feel the soil moist or dry, you determine if it needs any water, which is the most appropriate way to go about watering your leafy friend.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry prefers to have soil with good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry requires soil with clay, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) in from little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to dappled or moderate shade (under other plant’s canopy), to full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Flowers
You can expect your Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry to flower around the spring months from April to June (spring).
The Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry produces some beautiful yellow, or orange, gold/yellow and red/burgundy flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry have a beautiful red color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) to be around (< 1 inch) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry is well known for being able to attract birds, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for dry soil, clay soil, drought and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) will be fine.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Berberis Thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (‘Atropurpurea Nana’) owners agree that this shrub will look great in most cottage, asian/zen contemporary, and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, city and courtyard, coastal garden, and in informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, banks and slopes, and in hedges and screens, others use it for landscaping in a urban garden, rock garden, mass planting, hedge, firescaping/fire wise, border, barrier, or a wildlife garden.
Companion Plants
Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Buxus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Chamaecyparis will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
