Plant Patent #18,082. Cultivar name: 'Maria.'At last, a gold-leaved Barberry that will keep its color all summer without greening or burning! Sunjoy™ Gold Pillar is a dwarf tree with terrific density and brilliant color that changes as spring turns to summer, adding radiant color to your border, foundation, accent plantings, or containers.
The new leaves emerge in brilliant shades of red and orange, remaining for several weeks in spring. Their color show rivals that of the spring-blooming bulbs, but it is hard to miss these tones when the radiant, almost glowing gold sets in! Very upright, almost vertical, the branches are densely covered in small, rounded leaves, for a trim and tidy look that needs no shearing.
Gold Pillar reaches just 3 to 4 feet high and about 4 feet wide at maturity, keeping its narrow and tight habit without sprawling even in summer heat. Unlike other gold-leaved Barberries, it won't burn, and remains fresh through autumn. Few plants can compete with its three seasons of stunning color!
Bred by Polish plantsman Lucjan Kurowski, Gold Pillar thrives in full sunshine. It may remind you of a gold-leaved version of Helmond Pillar, and it does make a stunning companion to the rich magenta-purple and compact size of that Barberry. But it is also elegant on its own, in pairs flanking an entryway, or in a large planting outlining a garden divisiion, edging the driveway or path, or punctuating the sunny border. Unpalatable to deer, it can be planted safely in open settings, such as the perimeter of the property. Find a special place for this standout specimen this season! Zones 4-8.
