March Featured Plant - Oregon Grape
- Claire Shady
- 9 hours ago
- 1 min read
Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens) is a widely distributed understory plant that you may have spotted and thought to yourself, what’s that holly doing growing on the ground? Its distinct holly-like leaves with their wide toothed margins and points sprawl across the forest floor.
You can find Oregon Grape from western Canada south through California and east through Minnesota, and every state in between.
This low growing, shade-tolerant plant produces bright yellow flowers from April to July that give way to purple grape-like berries. The early bloom serves as an important resource for pollinators as they come out of winter while the berries are eaten by birds and other wildlife.
In yard and garden settings, Oregon Grape is an attractive groundcover for cooler, shaded areas. This is a true powerhouse plant that will grow in full sun to deep shade, although when planted in full sun it requires more water.
Plant Oregon Grape in well-drained soils, but it will tolerate sand and clay soils.
Once established, Oregon Grape is highly drought tolerant, although occasional water in full-sun settings will promote more growth and maintain the bright green color of the foliage.
Oregon Grape is hardy to USDA zones 4-8.
For the best effect, plant in dappled sunlight with Harebell, Roundleaf Alumroot, and White Spirea.
Summary:
Bloom Time: April - July | Water Use: Medium - Low |
Bloom Color: Yellow | Sun: Full Sun - Full Shade |
Plant Height: 1 - 3ft | Hardiness: 4 - 8 |
Photos provided by Great Bear Native Plants, Map provided by BONAP
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