WorryFree® Plants and brand owner Syn-RG® LLC are excited to announce that in March 2022 the State of Pennsylvania exempted all four Japanese barberry varieties in the WorryFree® series (Crimson Cutie®, Lemon Cutie®, Lemon Glow®, and Mr. Green Genes™) from their list of banned invasive plants and approved their sale and use in the nursery and landscape trade.
These barberries were developed by Dr. Mark Brand at the University of Connecticut. “The key reason for any breeding is to try to create plants that are better than what is currently available, or that can solve a key problem. That thought process for Barberry was put squarely in focus for me after a meeting in 2000 with nursery industry officials where it was made clear that bans were coming across the northeast U.S. on this staple genus,” says Dr. Brand. His research was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal HortScience, and can be read in full here: (https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/57/4/article-p581.xml).
“Barberry thrives in so many different landscape locations while exhibiting great color and form, all in a deer-resistant package. So, this approval is a major win for nurseries and landscapers to continue using this staple, and trust that it won’t produce seed and become invasive” says Emily Chung, Executive Director of Syn-RG® LLC.
Other state bans are continuously monitored, and exemptions based on this remarkable data are being sought. New York State has exempted Crimson Cutie®, Lemon Cutie®, and Lemon Glow® barberries.
WorryFree® barberries are available from the following licensed growers: Overdevest Nurseries LP. (NJ), Prides Corner Farms Inc. (CT), Willoway Nurseries Inc. (OH), Medford Nursery (NJ), Buds & Blooms Nursery (NC).
WorryFree® Crimson Cutie® Barberry
Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTCP4N’ PP30,095
Z: 4-9 | H: 1.5-2’ | W: 3-3.5’ | Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade | Foliage: Red/Purple WorryFree® Lemon Glow® Barberry
Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTB048’ PP30,127)
Z: 4-9 | H: 1.5-2.5’ | W: 2-4’ | Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade | Foliage: Yellow
** COMING SOON! ** WorryFree® Lemon Cutie® Barberry * COMING IN 2023 *
Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTB113’ PP30,094
Z: 4-9 | H: 1-1.5’ | W: 1.5-2’ | Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade | Foliage: Yellow WorryFree® Mr. Green Genes™ Barberry * FUTURE INTRODUCTION *
Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTB039’ PP30,128
Z: 4-9 | H: 2.5-3.5’ | W: 3.5-4.5’| Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade | Foliage: Green
For more information about Pennsylvania’s Noxious, Invasive and Poisonous Plant Program visit: (https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/NIPPP/Pages/default.aspx)
Contact Cayla Olson – Horticulture Program & Marketing Manager for a copy of the Pennsylvania exemption certificate, photographs, and more information about each plant by email: cayla@synrgplants.com.
ABOUT
Syn-RG® is a collaboration of breeders, growers, and retailers dedicated to bringing you better plants. Owned by five charter growers in the United States and Canada: Overdevest Nurseries LP, Prides Corner Farms Inc., Saunders Brothers Inc., Sheridan Nurseries Ltd, and Willoway Nurseries Inc. SynRG® has developed both the Handpicked for You® Trustmark and the WorryFree® brand to bring you better plants.
The Handpicked for You® Trustmark is not a branding program, but rather a certification program that helps consumers make good choices. It provides reassurance that each plant has been rigorously tested and locally scrutinized, only making the final cut when it has proven its performance. All WorryFree® plants have been awarded the Handpicked for You® Trustmark or are in the final trial stages, in addition to 140+ other Handpicked for You® certified plants. Certification is only identified on plants shipping from the five charter growers.
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