Berberis thunbergii 'Diabolicum' - invasive and a heaven for ticks?

rolanda.woo

Excuse me for being so silly to ask the question first! I know Google can be a devil sometimes. But when I started doing research on the new Berberis thunbergii 'Diabolicum' I've just bought, I was horrified by what I found.

"Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will host a public meeting to talk about whether Japanese barberry should be banned in the state. It’s already banned in New York, Maine, and Minnesota."

"That’s partly because the plant could be bad for human health as well. It provides a haven for ticks that carry the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease."

https://whyy.org/articles/pa-considers-banning-japanese-barberry-a-popular-but-invasive-landscaping-plant/


Does anyone have this plant in garden? Do they pose any spreading issue or health concern? 

Fairygirl

I'm not sure I'd base my choices on info that's relevant in America.  
Lots of plants are invasive in some countries and not in others, because it depends on the predators which control those plants, and various other factors, like climate.
It's why Japanese knotweed is invasive here and not in it's 'home' country, for example.  
Varieties of Berberis thunbergii are grown all over the UK without any problem  as  far as I'm aware. I've got one here. 

JennyJ

I've had B. thunbergii "Rose Glow" in the garden for many years with no problems, tick-related or otherwise. It's not at all invasive here.

thevictorian

I've got a B. thunbergii in my front garden and have done for years, I also live in an area with a high tick population that carry Lyme disease and I'm yet to ever find one in my garden that's not attached to a poor hedgehog. So I'd echo the above advice and not worry.

rolanda.woo

Fairygirl said:

I'm not sure I'd base my choices on info that's relevant in America.  
Lots of plants are invasive in some countries and not in others, because it depends on the predators which control those plants, and various other factors, like climate.
It's why Japanese knotweed is invasive here and not in it's 'home' country, for example.  
Varieties of Berberis thunbergii are grown all over the UK without any problem  as  far as I'm aware. I've got one here. 

@Fairygirl, Thank you. That absolutely makes sense. The more I learn about all these green lives and their interactions with the surroundings, the more fascinated I became!

Thank you, everyone, for the reassurance!

JoeX

It seems that while they considered banning it in 2018, it wasn’t banned as these people are specifically recommending it for Philadelphia: https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/pennsylvania/philadelphia-pa/deer-resistant-plants-philadelphia/ Apparently it has spread in the forests of PA according to some turn of the millennium studies, something I’ve not heard of happening here in the UK.

rolanda.woo

@JoeX, interesting. I guess it's like what @Fairygirl explained, it depends on the climate , local vegetation and etc. 

Fire

This has made for interesting reading. Plantlife - the UK plant conservation charity - does flag up

Berberis thunbergii as a potential risk in Britain - one to keep a close eye on. They describe it as

"‘Moderate Risk’ (3 star): recommends they are subject to the more detailed risk assessment" (link given above).