11-10-09: Mahonia repens

Mahonia repens As I look at this plant I realize I would love a dress made with these perfect fall colors - dusky plum, muted blue green, splashed with bits of bright red and new leaf green – stunning!

As a plant it is stunning as well. Beauty and toughness are integrated in this hardy northwest native groundcover. This mahonia grows 2 feet high by 6-8 feet wide in ten years. It has fragrant yellow flowers in February and March that are loved by bees and butterflies, followed by a dusted blue purple fruit edible by humans and birds. The leaves are oval with, not too prickly, points edging them. This is a tough plant growing in full sun to full shade, deer proof, drought tolerant and pest free. Often is used where other plants don’t grow, dry shade, parking strips or steep banks under fir trees. Mahonia repens spreads by suckering and underground runners and it likes acid soil. Plant with other natives; vine maple, western hemlock, red flowering currant and salal. Add as a ground cover to fill a difficult spot or to add a splash of year round color to a dark corner.

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