About Barberry Species as Shrubs, Invaders, Fungal Host, and Bonsai Trees

            Barberry aesthetically makes a delightful bonsai due to its small, colorful leaves, flowers, and berries. They are frequently used in landscaping which means that they are readily available to those who keep their ears to the ground for unwanted plants to salvage like myself. Today I want to share some information on these plants, good examples of successful barberry as bonsai, and some brief comments on techniques for this species.

I am also listing some of my barberry prebonsai/yamadori for sale. Help me downsize my collection so I can focus on my PhD thesis! Pictures, prices, and delivery options in Columbus, OH, or surrounding states are listed here. I am open to hearing offers!

Here is one stunning example of Japanese barberry bonsai by Ed van der Reek in Europe. They do get a great fall color! Source - Ed-Bonsai.blogspot.com

I. Barberry Growth Habit

              Barberry (Berberis spp.) is an adaptable genus often found in landscaping. They naturally make clumps and the clump form often has fused bases underground. Thus, they take a very long time to develop thick single trunks if you ever happen to find such a tree! Roots also like to sprout additional shoots to propagate themselves; they also spread through berries which can be problematic.

II. Barberry's Invasive Potential

            In some US states, their berries lead the non-native Japanese Barberry or European Barberries (Berberis thunbergii and vulgaris, respectively) to escape cultivation and invade forests, but luckily this is only officially an issue in Ohio with the European Barberry. However, when you stumble on any barberry in the woods in Ohio, you can assume it is non-native and cut it down as we have no native species here in Ohio. I do occasionally find them in our woods but not as often as other local invasives like honeysuckle. Learn more about identifying the non-native Japanese and European barberry species here.

Source. See there for other identifying traits also!

III. A Disease of Concern for Barberry Bonsai - (Wheat) Black Stem Rust

            Within the last 100 years, barberries have proven to give rise to massive economic losses for wheat farmers due to their participation in a fungal life cycle that transmits between barberry and wheat. The USDA has compiled an interesting article with lots of historical information on this disease, its past impacts, efforts and successes in combatting it, and ongoing efforts. While formerly Black Stem Rust epidemics could wipe out as much as 50% of wheat yield in a given year in the US, it appears to be nearly a non-issue now that the susceptible European barberry species has been nearly or entirely eradicated from the major wheat-producing states (but this species still persists in the NE US) (cite-USDA, cite-OSU), but like all good public health programs, this is only due to ongoing and continuous efforts to prevent the invasive barberry from re-colonizing those important midwestern agricultural states.

One instance of a bad year for (Wheat) Black Stem Rust! You can see the geographic distribution in the US here. Source

Here you can see the downward trend of the wheat stem rust epidemics following successful programs for local eradication and quarantine of susceptible European barberry. Source

            Luckily, the Japanese barberry/B. thunbergii that we are using for bonsai here is NOT susceptible to wheat stem rust (cite-USDA2, cite-OSU)! Just in case, if you see any symptom like the leaf below, it's best to remove infected foliage, treat it with appropriate fungicide, and possibly discard the plant! I have not seen any evidence of this on my Japanese barberries though in the last 4 years I've been growing them.

This is what Wheat Rust looks like on a European Barberry leaf (note the serrated leaf edge, whereas Japanese barberry has a smooth leaf edge). Source

IV. American Barberry - Berberis canadensis as Bonsai

            There is also at least one species of native barberry which is found wild in the southeastern and parts of the Midwest US. See the range map here. HOWEVER, this is a species that is susceptible to Wheat Stem Rust, so if you collect or cultivate this species you must pay close attention to the local rules surrounding the sale and quarantine of it! Also be sure to learn more about the black stem rust life cycle, signs, symptoms, and treatments so if your plant does contract it you can take appropriate actions right away to limit the spread.

            With that disclaimer though, it looks like American Barberry does make an excellent bonsai! If you are in an area with native B. canadensis, be sure to look into local resources to confirm identification. It will be easily confused with the European barberry we discussed above as both have serrated leaf edges (Source).

An American native barberry bonsai possibly from the US National Arboretum? If anyone has the true source please let me know! Source

V. Barberry Bonsai Technique Commentary

            Bonsai-wise, these make for great miniature forest or clump-style bonsai due to their growth habit, naturally small leaves, and vibrant colors at any time of year ranging from pink/purple during the growing season to yellows and reds in fall. The main downside that barberries have for bonsai is their fine and sharp thorns which will prick you at some point if you own one! For this reason, I employ clip-and-grow techniques to produce changes of direction in my branches and to get the dense foliage pads rather than wiring, but it responds and transforms into a bonsai using this technique in a few short years! If you dare to brave their barbs you may even wire the branches. I have pruned throughout the growing season, repotted these plants during early-mid spring, and dug spring-fall with no unexpected issues in all these cases. The riskiest operation for barberry bonsai's survival is the initial dig, but I have seen that cutting them back at the time of digging reduces shock as it lowers water demands on the roots, especially for those "now or never" summer digs.

Next time... I will provide a more detailed write-up on pruning barberry bonsai once they are in leaf! This is a topic I photographed for last year but haven't made time to follow up on yet.

Winter Invasive Plant ID at Turtle Cave in Athens, Ohio - Honeysuckle, Multiflora Rose, and Privet

            For New Year's Day, 2024 I was lucky to have a partner and dog willing to put up with some winter nippiness and muddiness to hike a nearby trail that promised a cave at the end. While there, I documented several things including the abundance and distribution of invasive plants, the plants with wild bonsai ("yamadori") potential, the details of the natural deciduous deadwood decay patterns here in Ohio, and some rock formations that were interspersed in the forest. In today's article, I share the observations from there focused on Ohio invasive plant identification ahead of our upcoming CBS invasive digs. In the near future, I'll follow up with more pictures from the other observations.

Sections:

I. Invasive Plants in Ohio
    IA. Why do invasive plants matter?
    IB. History of Columbus Bonsai Society's involvement with invasive plants
    IC. CBS INVASIVE Alliance (see previous post)

    ID. Invasive plants at Turtle Cave in Athens, Ohio - Winter Identification

        ID1. Invasive Japanese (Vine) Honeysuckle

        ID2. Invasive Multiflora Rose

        ID3. Invasive Shrub Honeysuckle

        ID4. Invasive Chinese Privet

Blog/Central Ohio Bonsai Announcements:

1. I now sell pure pumice and pumice-pine bark pre-mixed bonsai soil in central Ohio. Check out here for more information and prices. This is the mix I make and use for myself to good results with my trees!
2. CBS Club Dig Days for 2024 are out! - See the list and RSVP here to be sent the addresses of the events. Options include 4/6, 4/13, and 4/14/2024. All are welcome. Contact me with any questions.
3. See my recently published lecture - "Introduction to Wild Bonsai in Ohio and Beyond" for some tips on how to get started digging yamadori.

With the density of these privet berries, it's easy to see how they can invade our forests! If you look closely you will also see an invasive Japanese Honeysuckle vine still hanging onto its leaves.

Announcing the CBS INVASIVE Alliance / Yamadori Study Group

 Integrating Native Vegetation And Stopping Invasive VExations

aka the Columbus Bonsai Society INVASIVE Alliance. The next evolution of our CBS Yamadori (Wild bonsai) Study Group. 

Read on for the origins and goals of this idea.

In Vivo / Central Ohio Bonsai Announcements:

1. CBS Japanese Brush Painting/Scroll-Making Workshop on 3/17! Sign up here. You do not need to be a member to sign up.
2. CBS Club Dig Days for 2024 are out! - See the list and RSVP here to be sent the addresses of the events. Options include 4/6, 4/13, and 4/14/2024. All are welcome. Contact me with any questions.
3. I now sell pots! I received a special shipment to sell on behalf of Blue Nose Trading. See the pieces of her work I have available here or schedule an appointment to visit my nursery in Columbus, OH via the contact form here. These are mainly for local pickup/delivery only.
4. I now sell pure pumice and pumice-pine bark pre-mixed bonsai soil in central Ohio. Check out here for more information and prices. This is the mix I make and use for myself to good results with my trees!

My educational display from the CBS 2023 Annual show featuring invasive Tree of Heaven and Spotted Lanternfly. I will do a more detailed write up on these one day for the blog...

4 Tips to Pick the Right Species for Your First/Next Bonsai

            How can you learn to keep a bonsai alive to enjoy for generations to come? There's no magic, really, but there are a few bonsai tricks to learn. Some basic skills serve you well when growing any type of plant, but the first thing you should think about is how to pick a plant that can tolerate the conditions you will provide it. I'll share 4 tips here to help you get started for those thinking about entering bonsai or thinking about trying to add new species to your collection, but if you're in Columbus, Ohio, check out my upcoming beginner workshop where you can get your bonsai journey off on a running start! 

In Vivo / Central Ohio Bonsai Announcements:

1. My next beginner indoor bonsai workshop is on Saturday 2/24 at Nocterra Brewing. Full details can be found on Eventbrite! Briefly, we will cover all the basics of caring for indoor bonsai, and basic techniques for bonsai maintenance such as how to prune, wire, and repot to create the miniature tree look. All workshop participants will be gifted 1-year memberships to the Columbus Bonsai Society and the Central Ohio Cactus and Succulent Society - A $55 value! The total price for the workshop is $56 and also includes prebonsai trees and locally made pots for you to take home after our work and a drink from our gracious host.
2. I now sell pots! I received a special shipment to sell on behalf of Blue Nose Trading. See the pieces of her work I have available here or schedule an appointment to visit my nursery in Columbus, OH via the contact form here. These are mainly for local pickup/delivery only.
3. The Bonsai Time Podcast has moved! While I am still heavily involved in producing that podcast, the show notes for it now lives on its own website, its own YouTube channel, and it now has its own TikTok account.

The pots were made by the same person who took pictures of a beginner class we taught together last year - Mark Passerrello of Ancient Art Bonsai. Mark was featured in Bonsai Time Podcast Episode 08.

Plants that Signal an Early Spring in Ohio - Living Alarm Bells

            While seasons come and go the exact when of their coming and going is always an unpredictable and complex question. Predicting these events is important for people who work in natural seasonal cycles with plants and animals such as farmers, hunters, gardeners, bonsai artists, bird watchers, and other sorts of nature enthusiasts. Many people don't know this but within us all there are internal biological clock proteins - this is where circadian rhythm comes from. So this may be one way that critters and plants can tell the progression of time. However, an event like triggering a migration or waking up from hibernation is critical to get at the right time. Migrating too late or waking up from hibernation too early could mean death by cold and lack of food. Migrating too early could mean missing the window with the rest of your species to mate or not maximizing your own energy reserves before migrating. All things in nature are a matter of risk, reward, and natural selection. As these are such critical events for the survival of an individual plant or critter, they use multiple cues to detect when to get moving. One cue can be their internal clock as we discussed. Another could be the temperature. Another could be the day length. This combination of cues is how plants and animals can time their seasonal events according to seasonal variation. Thus, while humans are trying to predict how winter in February 2024 will progress using historical data, the farmer's almanac, and a groundhog's shadow, the plants around us already have a good idea of what is the likely scenario regarding our winter. Once you look around enough to know which plants are the first responders to spring, then you also can get warning signs to get your gardening and bonsai preparations into high gear. In this post, I will share some example species which are plant alarm bells, especially in Ohio, but some ornamentals or invasives we have here also are available and could act similarly across the temperate world.

Blog/Central Ohio Bonsai Announcements:

1. For people in Central Ohio, I will be teaching a beginner indoor bonsai workshop on Saturday 2/24 at Nocterra Brewing. Full details can be found on Eventbrite! Briefly, we will cover all the basics of caring for indoor bonsai, and basic techniques for bonsai maintenance such as how to prune, wire, and repot to create the miniature tree look. All workshop participants will be gifted 1-year memberships to the Columbus Bonsai Society and the Central Ohio Cactus and Succulent Society - A $55 value!  The total price for the workshop is $56 and also includes prebonsai trees and locally made pots for you to take home after our work and a drink from our gracious host.
2. I now sell pots! I received a special shipment to sell on behalf of Blue Nose Trading. See the pieces of her work I have available here or schedule an appointment to visit my nursery in Columbus, OH via the contact form here. These are mainly for local pickup/delivery only.
3. The Bonsai Time Podcast has moved! While I am still heavily involved in producing that podcast, the show notes for it now lives on its own website, its own YouTube channel, and it now has its own TikTok account.

Silver maple flower buds. In fall-mid winter those ball-shaped buds are not visible. Now they are about to release their pollen in the next few weeks.