A Virginia conservation group is calling out Japanese barberry, a thorny ornamental shrub that is still being sold at nurseries and big-box stores even as landowners spend years trying to rip it out of their woods.
In a post for its “Weed It Wednesday” campaign, Blue Ridge PRISM described the plant as a fast-spreading invader now appearing in forests well beyond suburban yards.
The group pointed to data from the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora, which lists Japanese barberry as a “problematic, invasive, non-native shrub” that thrives in mesic to dry forests and old fields, particularly in the mountains and Piedmont.
This highly invasive plant is still being sold at nurserys while I’m busy pulling them out in my woodlands. Please stop buying Barberry
Posted by Sue Kester Puleo on Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Introduced to the U.S. in the late 1800s for its colorful foliage and durability, Japanese barberry remains popular in landscaping. But ecologists say it comes with serious costs. The shrub forms dense thickets that smother native plants, alter soil chemistry, and provide cover for ticks.
Once it takes hold, removal requires years of cutting, digging, and herbicide treatments — a process that homeowners describe as exhausting and frustrating. Several people responding to PRISM’s post said they were shocked at how quickly the shrub spread once planted and relieved to finally clear it, while others wondered why retailers would continue to stock a plant covered in sharp thorns.
“This highly invasive plant is still being sold at nurseries while I’m busy pulling them out in my woodlands,” one user who reposted the information said. “Please stop buying barberry.”
Researchers have also raised public health concerns. Dense stands of barberry create humid microclimates that are ideal for blacklegged ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease and other illnesses. That connection has made the shrub a growing concern not just for ecologists, but also for doctors and public health officials.
The issue goes beyond barberry. Other widely sold landscaping plants, including Bradford pear and English ivy, have become invasive in many regions of the U.S. Conservation groups are urging retailers to phase out these species, which can threaten entire ecosystems, in favor of native shrubs that can offer similar beauty while supporting pollinators and wildlife.
Native plants also conserve resources such as water, helping the environment and your wallet. They require little maintenance, saving homeowners time. They also boost biodiversity and offer a thriving ecosystem for pollinators, which help protect our food supply.
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Whether you’re rewilding your entire yard or only doing a partial replacement, native plants and turf grass substitutes such as clover and buffalo grass offer a variety of benefits for you and the environment.
Some states have already taken steps to restrict the sale of barberry, but in Virginia, it remains available. Until policy shifts catch up, local landowners and volunteers will continue the slow work of pulling it from the ground, one thorny stem at a time.
“When we first moved here, I had no idea how invasive they were… finally got rid of them all, thankfully,” one commenter said.
“Never understood why anyone would want shrubs with sharp thorns,” another chimed in.
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