Berberis, Crimson Pygmy Barberry, Dwarf Redleaf Barberry, Japanese Barberry 'Atropurpurea Nana'

Informally known as ihaithatshit by my wife, who despises the rather small but painfully-sharp short needles. The plant is nearly imposs...Read Moreible to handle without gloves and sleeve-protection.

Beautiful dark-red foilage even in spring, seems to grow well with much abuse, poor soil and hot dry full-sun summers.

Ours are being transplanted to a safer part of our property, away from frequent human exposure.

Definitely deer-resistant, the deer seem to eat half of our small shrubs every winter but these are (of course!) never touched.

The thing to remember with this particular variety of "dwarf" barberry is that since it has become so popular, it is rarely propagated by...Read More cuttings anymore (cloning). Rather, it is more commonly sold propagated from seed, which results in a wide range of mature sizes. It's like planting seed from a great-colored blue spruce, which would result in seedlings with a range of color from plain green, to green-blue, blue-green, and a few good blues. If you want a real dwarf red barberry, search for cloned varieties (from stem cuttings) such as 'Bagatelle', 'Royal Burgandy', or 'Concorde'. That way, you won't be disappointed and stuck with trimming such a prickly shrub every year. Interestingly, nurseries have started to stock a variety called 'True Crimson Pygmy', after many professional landscapers have complained!

I like this plant....but my 'pygmy's are now nearly 4 foot tall. They can get bigger than advertised.

I like a natural , o...Read Morepen shape and don't prune heavilly....but these are getting a little big for their breeches. As long as they don't get much bigger, they're fine where I've put them, but I'm going to have to give them serious haircuts if they continue to grow.

Old leaves are bronze-red while the new growth tips are a lighter color. This is a dwarf plant and is suitable for flower beds and walkways.