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Berberis aurea
nicklangman
Posts: 1
I've just bought a berberis aurea. Over the last two weeks it's lost all of its leaves. This is the second time it's happened, the first time it took the plant about a year to recover. Can anyone suggest why or how to assist a faster recovery.
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Posts
This could be due to the warm, dry weather we've been having as it has been making even supposedly established plants go limp and shed leaves.
Of course it could be that your garden and berberis do not mix. We've all (I assume) tried to grow something year after year and in a position where it ought to thrive, only to find that the wretched plant hasn't read the manual.
Berberis of any kind tend to thrive best with plenty of water. If you've had the hot, dry conditions that lots of people have experienced recently, it may simply be a case of dehydration. Making sure the plant is thoroughly soaked before planting, and thoroughly soaked afterwards is important, and further watering for the next month or two, until cooler, damper weather is on the cards, and the plant establishes. Once plants dry out, it can be tricky to rehydrate them. Immersing the pot completely in a bucket of water for a while is the best way.
We're always told that potted plants can be put in the ground at any time as long as it's not waterlogged or frozen, but for many areas, planting at this time of year can be just as tricky. If you're in a 'dry' area Nick - it might be best to keep the plant in it's pot ( or potted on if it's filling the one it's in) and keep it somewhere out of full sun for the time being. Once the weather cools down a bit, you can take it from there.
Also - check that it's not pot bound before it goes in the ground, as it can be very difficult to rectify once planted.
I meant to say too - the golden leaved varieties of plants can often be a bit more finicky with weather conditions, until they get going.
Last edited: 07 July 2017 15:50:00
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Nothing more to be said there then (!)