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Sep 21, Decide which type of pruning the barberry requires. Rejuvenation pruning involves removing 1/3 of the plant close to the center stem. Use hand-held or electric hedge clippers to shape the plant. For healthy, full growth from top to base, always trim barberry shrubs wider at the base of the plant. Sep 26, Barberry do not require pruning, however respond very well to it.
I leave mine alone indefinitely except to remove a damaged, dead or stray branch that is spoiling the look or shape of the plant.
That said, Barberry can be pruned or sheared to maintain a formal shape or hedge, to tidy up the plant, or to reduce size. Tie nonproductive branches together and cut the old clump down to the ground with a long-handled lopper.
On deciduous varieties, tie target branches before leaves drop. When shrubs grow too big to manage, tie up branches and prune all clumps down to 1 inch tall. Barberry will regrow 1. For these plants, pruning should be done in the early spring, before they leaf out. Shear or prune the outer branch tips to shape and reduce the size of the plant.
Repeat this pruning technique throughout the summer, as needed. If you are forming a hedge, allow light to reach all areas of the hedge by leaving the base of the plants wider than the top. Barberry can be cut back hard and will recover although it will be slow. You cannot simply shear the plant to “size” as it will open up to just a stemmy appearance.
You will need to either cut back. I prune my barberries, especially three big old ones, almost continually. Just keep trimming it up and it will produce denser and denser growth. Let that harden, and then do it again.