Apr 13, 2022

Pennsylvania Exempts WorryFree Barberry Varieties From Plant Ban

WorryFree Plants brand owner Syn-RG LLC announced that Pennsylvania in March exempted all four Japanese barberry varieties in the WorryFree series from its list of banned invasive plants.

Varieties in the series — Crimson Cutie, Lemon Cutie, Lemon Glow, and Green Genes — are now approved by the state for sale and use in the nursery and landscape trade.

These barberries were developed by professor 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,” Brand said in a news release. “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.”

Brand’s research was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal HortScience.

Syn-RG LLC Executive Director Emily Chung said it was “a major win for nurseries and landscapers to continue using this staple, and trust that it won’t produce seed and become invasive.”

Other state bans are continuously monitored, and data-based exemptions 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. (New Jersey), Prides Corner Farms Inc. (Connecticut), Willoway Nurseries Inc. (Ohio), Medford Nursery (New Jersey), and Buds & Blooms Nursery (North Carolina).

Syn-RG is 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.