Berberis lologensis Apricot Queen - Barberry

Berberis x lologensis Orange Queen is a variety of evergreen Barberry, selected for its beautiful bright and clear orange flowers which are spectacular in spring and sporadically bloom in summer. Enhanced by small leaves of dark and shiny green, it has dark red, glossy berries that remain decorative for a long time. This thorny and vigorous bush, reaching 3m (9 ft 10in) in all directions, has few requirements and requires very little maintenance. It will easily integrate into a vibrant hedge or a flowering shrub bed.

Berberis lologensis Orange Queen is a hybrid and horticultural shrub from the Berberidaceae family. Its ancestors are Berberis linearifolia and Berberis darwinii, both native to South America, specifically the Chilean Andes and Argentina. Hardy in zone 6, it is very tolerant of nature and soil pH.

'Orange Queen' closely resembles Berberis Orange King, but it has slightly larger growth, allowing it to reach about 3m (9ft 10in) in all directions, and a flowering of a lighter orange, equally spectacular. It is a variety with evergreen foliage characterized by a bushy, dense, upright, and slightly wayward habit due to branches that arch over time. Its growth is rather fast. The bark of this shrub is light grey to brown, equipped with thorns, taking on a fibrous appearance with age. In April-May, countless flowers bloom, grouped in small umbels of 2 to 4 flowers, almost double, and large for a barberry. Each bell-shaped flower, with a small corolla at the base, has up to 21 dark orange petals turning light orange and apricot as they open. This barberry often produces more flowers during the summer if the soil remains moist. This nectar-rich flowering is followed by small, fleshy, ovoid fruits that become dark red and glossy when ripe. The persistent foliage is composed of small, shiny, dark green, narrow, leathery leaves with coarsely toothed edges, ending in a spine.

The Orange Queen Barberry can be planted in flower beds, in groups of 3, as a defensive hedge or as an informal hedge. Very adaptable, it tolerates all soils that are not too dry, but prefers sunny exposures. Its beautiful, sparkling, orange flowering and beautiful foliage and red fruits make it an interesting shrub all year round. There are many reasons to reserve a spot for it in front of taller shrubs with blue flowers, such as ceanothus. Its flowers and berries will also go well with the superb purple foliage of Berberis thunbergii Atropurpurea, for example, or, in mild climates, with that of Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea', a surprising mimosa with feathery purple and silver foliage. This shrub can also be planted in large rockeries, to cover slopes or highlight the edge of a path.