This feature will appear in the blog throughout the year. Many plants have fallen out of favor over the years, but for bio diversity and landscape interest they deserve to be resurrected. Today's featured plant is :
Mahonia aquifolium, commonly called Oregon grape holly.
A member of the Barberry (Berberis) family, rather than the Holly (Ilex) family, the common name refers to the hue of the berries and the appearance of the leaves, which resemble holly leaves. It is a suckering , evergreen shrub with a spreading to upright habit that typically grows 3 to 6 feet tall and up to 5 feet wide, although it can be trained to grow taller. Native to rocky woods and coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest, Mahonia is noted for its yellow flowers in spring, edible blue-black berries in late summer, compound evergreen foliage and ability to grow well in shade.
New leaves emerge red-tinted in spring, maturing to glossy dark green by summer. Foliage acquires purplish hues in fall and burgundy-bronze tones by winter, sometimes suffering from winter burn. Bright yellow flowers, up to 2.5 inches long, bloom in terminal racemes in April. Flowers are mildly fragrant. Flowers are followed by edible berries that ripen by early fall, and which make excellent jellies.
Mahonia grows best in moist, organically rich, acidic, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade, though it prefers part shade locations. Site the plant in locations protected from exposure to strong wind and full sun. It is hardy in zones 5 through 8.