Oregon grape
Mahonia aquifolium · Berberidaceae
Glossy, holly-like, evergreen leaves that turn bronze-purple in winter, clusters of bright yellow, scented flowers in early spring, and blue-black berries like small grapes.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Early April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic to people
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Oregon grape
The planner designed this bed around Oregon grape when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why Oregon grape stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Oregon grape × 1, yellow
- 2 Spotted dead nettle 'Beacon Silver' × 8, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 16, blue
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 4, purple
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 5, purple
- 6 Scarlet coral bells × 8, white
- 7 Toad lily × 5, purple
- 8 Snowdrop × 7, white
- 9 Winter cyclamen × 10, pink
- 10 Double snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to tall astilbe 'Superba' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From early April to early May.
- Fills a gap. For five of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 9 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 52 to 48, left to right. Cool colours (pink, blue and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Oregon grape goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
A bold, coarse texture for shade, with interest in every season. Shelter it from winter sun and wind, which scorch the leaves.
- Evergreen structure in dry shade
- Early nectar for bees
- A native of the Pacific Northwest
What to plant with Oregon grape
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for five weeks; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about Oregon grape
Does Oregon grape need sun or shade?
Oregon grape grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Oregon grape grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Oregon grape flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Early April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Mid March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Oregon grape be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Oregon grape plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Oregon grape poisonous?
Yes: mild toxicity to people. May cause mild stomach upset if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat Oregon grape?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will Oregon grape spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by suckers into a wider clump. Remove the outer shoots to contain it.
What flowers after Oregon grape?
Oregon grape is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Blue false indigo: from late May to mid June, 4 ft tall.
- Lupine: from late May to early July, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bleeding heart: from early May to early June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does Oregon grape look like in winter?
Oregon grape keeps its dark green and bronze leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is Oregon grape good for bees and butterflies?
Oregon grape is visited by pollinators and songbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada.
More Mahonia
- Creeping mahonia Mahonia repens
- Mahonia 'Charity' Mahonia x media 'Charity'
- Mahonia 'Soft Caress' Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
In these guides
- Plants for deep shade
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Native plants for shade
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early April to early May; dense clusters; yellow
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green, bronze
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Comes from
- South West Canada to Northern California
- Attracts
- Pollinators, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.