Plant Library

Other Names:  Oregon Grape

Description:

Fabulous groundcover with blue-green foliage that is pinnate and very narrow ; treasured for its rising racemes of bright yellow flowers and light blue berries; perfect for a woodland garden

Ornamental Features

Soft Caress Mahonia features bold racemes of fragrant yellow flowers rising above the foliage in late fall. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The narrow pinnately compound leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding purple in the fall, which persists throughout the winter. It produces powder blue berries from late summer to early fall.

Landscape Attributes

Soft Caress Mahonia is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Soft Caress Mahonia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Soft Caress Mahonia will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in partial shade to shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.