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Orange rocket barberry is a plant that provides a striking focal point in any shrub border. This plant has green foliage and an upright habit that makes it very suitable for any garden as the bright orange color of its foliage changes to red foliage in the fall.
These shrubs perform better when planted by themselves and when you plant them in mass. Many people like to use this plant as a short hedge or border by planting several next to each other. Caring for this fantastic plant wouldn’t be a pain in the neck if you are willing to follow the maintenance procedures.
In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about orange rocket barberry care and growing tips.
Orange Rocket Barberry Care Guide
Watering Requirements
When this plant has just been planted, ensure that you water them regularly until they have been appropriately established. For this growth process to be complete, it would take about 2-3 months, and ensure that you apply 1 to 2 inches of mulch around the base of the plant to help it retain moisture.
You can plant this fantastic plant in either full sun or partial shade, but make sure it receives the right amount of sunlight and adequate fertilizer to balance out the whole equation.
Although this plant is drought tolerant and can handle various weather conditions, you shouldn’t care less about taking care of it properly.
Pruning Tips
The best time to prune this plant Is after spring, when it has been flushed with new leaves, making it easy to identify the older ones.
By pruning, you could enjoy the brilliant coral orange color of the rocket barberry and help it maintain its compact shape. To rejuvenate older plants, you can take out some of the older stems to give way to older branches.
Plant Spacing
you can plant this plant singly or in large numbers under the soil, but you have to ensure that there is a spacing of about 2-3 ft apart, from center to center.
You may also grow it into a hedge and space about 18 inches apart. You would also wish to create depth and height for your plant, and the best way to achieve this is to plant at column intervals.
How Do I Use the Orange Rocket Barberry in My Landscape?
This ornamental plant is mainly cherished for its color in spring and falls, and letting them grow into its natural shape would give it a more significant advantage. Pruning the sides of this plant would ensure that the sides of the plant fill in more heavily and, in turn, gives your plant a healthy look.
These orange rocket trees make an incredible addition to your foundation plantings. You can plant these plants right by the side of your window without worrying because they wouldn’t grow tall enough to obscure your view from the front window.
Pro Planting Tips for Orange Rocket Barberry
To get the best out of its color, ensure that you plant it in full sun, and it would also be able to tolerate partial shade as long as the area is not fully shaded. Like most plants, ensure that the soil you would be planting in is well-drained.
If, after rain, puddles usually are seen in your planting sites, then you would want to improve the drainage ability of the area. To archive ethics, you can add some soil to the mud and then plant in that mud.
As we said earlier, you should water your plants more when they are still a bit younger and reduce it when they grow older because when hose plants grow older, they become more tolerant to drought.
If adequately taken care of, you would be amazed at what that little shrub offers. When it leaps into spring, it seems to have a blaze of coral-orange color, but when the fall arrives, you will be amazed by its transformation into red and orange colors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Rejuvenate a Barberry Bush?
Rejuvenating a barberry bush can be much easy if you follow the following steps;
- Become familiar with the proper pruning angles to use, so you do not cause damage to the plant
- If you wish to rejuvenate extensively, remove the entire plant at about 6-10 inches above the ground with looping shears and a pruning saw
- Then remove one-third of the oldest and unreproductive branch. Then the following year, you can take out half of the lingering and old branches, then in the third year, prune out the remainder of the third branches
Are Barberry Bushes Illegal?
In some countries, yes. In Pennsylvania, barberry bushes are not legal because they form dense and prickly thickets that disrupt the ecosystem’s smooth activities of the ecosystem, and it is also known to harbor black-legged ticks that spread a disease known as Lyme disease.
The ban on the growth and sale of barberry in this country took effect on October 8, 2021.
What Is Referred To As Corrective Pruning?
Corrective pruning is the type that is carried out in smaller trees to improve their form when it grows older. By doing this, you will be helping your plant develop a more substantial trunk and also ensure that it avoids problems like stem breakage and sorts.
How Do You Trim a Bush Without Killing It?
To do this successfully, don’t cut too far or close to the buds; do not cut its branches.
No matter the season, you shouldn’t cut more than one-fourth of the plant’s height, and don’t be afraid to prune your plants also; pruning helps remove the dead woods that give your plant a weird shape and also makes your plant look better.
See Also: Is Orange Rocket Barberry Invasive?
What Does Hard Pruning Mean?
Hard pruning simply is cutting the entire plant down to about 3-6 inches from the ground in early spring before any of its foliage starts emerging. By doing this, you would be helping the plant by minimizing the stress on the plant and ensuring that the direct sunlight and nutrients get to it.