Orange and blue

This is a fairly common shrub which seeds around here, though never enough to be a nuisance. Berberis darwinii was discovered in Chile by Charles Darwin in 1835 during the voyage of the Beagle and introduced to cultivation by William Lobb in 1849.

Although well-known, it's a beautiful, early flowering and hardy shrub which is well worth growing. The foliage is small, evergreen and spiny and the flowers are followed by small blue fruits.