Wildlife Loves Those Oregon-Grapes of Washington

Washington state’s “Oregon-grapes” include some of the most attractive native evergreen shrubs and groundcovers for wildlife landscapes. All are easy to grow, nice looking all year, and provide wildlife with valuable food and cover.

All the Oregon-grapes have bright yellow flowers in spring followed by attractive blue-black, grape-like fruit in summer. Parts of their spiny-edged, thick holly-like foliage may turn purplish or fiery red in winter.

The quarter-inch in diameter berries ripen in late summer and are eaten by many birds including grouse, pheasants, robins, waxwings, juncos, sparrows, and towhees. Foxes, raccoons, and coyotes also eat the berries. Deer and elk will occasionally browse the leaves and flowers. Orchard mason bees, various small wasps, painted lady butterflies, and other flying pollinators use the nectar.

None of the Oregon-grapes transplant easily and they are best planted from well-rooted containers into well-drained soil. All are found in nurseries and all but one species can be grown throughout the state.

Oregon-grapes or “Mahonias,” as the genus is named, are related to Berberis (Barberry) and are sometimes described under that name.

The tall Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is Oregon’s state flower. This upright-growing shrub grows from 6 to 8 feet tall and spreads to 6 feet wide, or wider. In hot, sunny sites it grows best with some summer water but in other situations it can grow in quite dry soil after a summer with supplemental watering. The plant’s erect form makes it an excellent barrier and informal screen plant when mass-planted. The dwarf selection, dwarf Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium ‘Compacta’) grows only 2-feet tall.

The creeping Oregon-grape (Mahonia repens) grows from 18 to 36 inches tall and wide. It grows naturally in full sun and partial shade east of the Cascade Mountains. It creeps out fairly slowly from underground stems and is a great groundcover for grouping under large shrubs and trees.

The Cascade Oregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa) is best suited for landscapes west of the Cascades Mountains. It grows from 12 to 24 inches tall and spreads slowly from underground stems. It’s a very desirable landscape plant for growing in filtered shade of trees and shrubs in moist or dry soil. Well-established plants create the impression of stiff, leathery ferns. Plant in large groups with other natives such as sword fern and salal or at a smaller scale with wild woodland strawberries and other woodland plants.

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