QUICKLY BUILD LASTING GARDENING SKILLS * GROW YOUR THRIVING DREAM GARDEN NOW
MONEYBACK GUARANTEE
Setting out to profile something as big as the Mahonia genus in a single post is pretty much impossible.
But, by focusing on its virtues rather than bemoaning its various prickly traits, we can probably convince you to fall in love with this often despised plant. And, we’ll get into some specific Mahonia species and cultivars you’ll want for your garden.
Mahonia ‘Charity’ and ‘Arthur Menzies’ grow quite tall, which is great for hummingbirds seeking their tasty yellow blooms in December & January. This beauty pops even more against the red trunk of a conifer in the Washington Park Arboretum Winter Garden.
Let’s start with some of the best qualities in the Mahonia genus
- Pollinator feed: Many Mahonia bloom during the dead of winter, when hummingbirds and other over-wintering wildlife desperately need forage.
- Winter Interest: Those bright yellow flowers burst forth in winter, which is great to ease our visual doldrums. But, before and after those blooms, these plants are evergreen, which is critical to keeping your garden looking great when perennials are hiding underground and deciduous trees are bare.
- Privacy & Protection: Taller plants in the genus may take a while to reach great heights, but when they do, they provide a bit of privacy even in tighter spaces. Plus, the spiny Mahonia leaves might just tell intruders that yours isn’t a window worth breaking.
- Edible: Mahonia isn’t called Oregon Grape just because the berries look like grapes. In fact, those berries are edible, with a few possible exceptions. Theirs may not be the tastiest berry you’ll grow, but odds are fruit-eating songbirds and other wildlife will pick them clean fast. Plus, their berries are just plain pretty!
- Native: There are any number of Mahonia native to many parts of the United States. Just double-check before you put one in. Some may be naturalized, rather than native to your area. And, some may be very aggressive spreaders (native or not).
Not exactly sure how to integrate this plant in your designs?
Join our online Academy to learn how to design with Mahonia. And, we’ll likely get into how Mahonia can be a forager’s delight. Plus, we’ll likely explore ways to make the most of this genus’ powerful plant medicine.
Now, let’s take a visual tour.
In a mass planting, this tall Mahonia (likely ‘Charity’ or ‘Arthur Menzies’) has provided a buffer from the street as well as habitat and forage for wildlife.
How about something not so big? Mahonia nervosa is a great choice for spaces that need evergreen interest at ground level. Expect yellow blooms in early spring followed by purple berries like these. And unlike Mahonia aquifolium and Mahonia repens (not show), they don’t spread quite as aggressively.
So if you think Mahonia still means plain ole green, spiny foliage with bursts of yellow blooms in winter, get ready to think again. Even though they are Berberis (read: Barberry), there’s more than one surprise coming…
Mahonia gracilipes has a stunning reddish and yellow bloom from late spring through early autumn, plus the under sides of this beauty’s leaves are beautiful white. Surprise! (We have yet to see this one fruit, and if it does fruit, we cannot guarantee that its fruits are edible.)
Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ is a new cultivar known for its lack of spines. Ours bloomed yellow in summer, but this is known to bloom in spring. Maybe we’ll get both on this newbie!
