Rescued Barberry shrub

[plant_dr]

I found this this giant barberry discarded in a dumpster last spring from the city's yearly cleanup thing. It still had most of its foliage when I found it, but not too many roots. A lot of the original leaves did dry up and fall off. But it has regrown a bunch and continues to build strength. I love the gnarly-ness of the bark and the movement not commonly found in these guys.
My favorite part:

 

[19Mateo83]

That’s an awesome save. That bark is fantastic!

 

[rockm]

I found this this giant barberry discarded in a dumpster last spring from the city's yearly cleanup thing. It still had most of its foliage when I found it, but not too many roots. A lot of the original leaves did dry up and fall off. But it has regrown a bunch and continues to build strength. I love the gnarly-ness of the bark and the movement not commonly found in these guys. View attachment 447903View attachment 447904View attachment 447910
My favorite part:
View attachment 447912

Nice find. Barberry is great if it's old and gnarled like this. As bonsai, It doesn't ramify very well, instead tends to send up long shoots and backbuds on the trunk when they're pruned. Branching is possible but it can take effort. This trunk is worth that effort. BTW, if you carve it for deadwood, don't be freaked out The interior wood is sometimes BRIGHT yellow.