Mahonia gracilipes or Berberis gracilipes as it's now known is a gorgeous evergreen shrub with pinnate leaves with large leaflets.
The brilliant white undersides of the leaves are an added bonus and when my plant reaches the promised four to six feet, it'll be easier to see them without turning the leaves over.
Mine bloomed for the first time this year and I'm looking forward to the blue berries to follow.
Here's some information stolen directly from Plant Lust (click on the link for more info and images):
ZONES
7a-10b
SIZE
H:5'-6'
W:5'
GROWING CONDITIONS
SOIL NEEDS:
Average, Well-Drained, Rich
WATER NEEDS:
Even Moisture, Regular, Occasional, Drought Tolerant
SUN EXPOSURE:
Sun, Part Sun, Light/Bright Shade, Dappled Shade, Part Shade
FEATURES
FLOWERS:
Red, Yellow, Purple / Violet
FOLIAGE:
Evergreen
FRUIT:
Yellow, Blue
WILDLIFE:
Birds, Deer Resistant
FLOWERING TIME:
Summer, Fall
The favorite plant of the week meme is hosted by Loree at Danger Garden. Follow the link to see other garden bloggers' favorites...this week.
Ohh I recognised that plant info template instantly :) great plant but as a berberis? Hmm...
ReplyDeleteThose taxonomists keep us on our toes, don't they!
DeleteI like those cute flowers very much!
ReplyDeleteThey are sweet little things!
DeleteI liked your mahonia Peter. It has such pretty small flowers!
ReplyDeleteMine has yellow flowers and dark blue berries, it's very hardy for our zone 5a. I see yours is not hardy, for zone 7a only. It's pity your mahonia can't survive in my garden.
I didn't know any Mahonias could take z5! I'm going to do some shopping! :)
DeleteAll of my other mahonias have yellow flowers but this one, from China, is different. It has the same blue berries though.
DeleteLook at you getting all techy inserting our template into your blog, I am impressed!
ReplyDeleteLove that plant, mine has started to send out babies around the base, have you seen that behavior?
It was an accident really. Usually when I cut and paste from a site, only the print transfers, not the whole template. When this happened, I decided to see if it would stay when it posted as sometimes templates morph strangely when that happens.
DeleteI haven't seen any babies! I'll have to go out and look when it's light out.
That’s very pretty flowers for a mahonia :-)
ReplyDeleteI haven’t got any mahonias in my garden, they tend to become rather big after a few years and I have no more space for plants taller and wider than me, but perhaps in my next garden – whenever that will be!
When you move to your country estate with acres of land, you can plant groves of huge plants!
DeleteI would not have known that was a mahonia because those cute little flowers are so different.
ReplyDeleteIt is different from any of the other mahonias I've seen.
DeleteZone 10b! I love those flowers. I'll have to look for it.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth the search. If you can't find it locally, go to the plant lust link as they list at least three nurseries who have it that take mail orders.
DeleteSeeing the undersides without turning the leaves is definitely something to look forward to! Who knew they were hiding under there.
ReplyDeleteThe stark white undersides of the leaves is a striking feature of this plant and you're right, it's definitely something worth looking forward to!
DeleteLove your mahonia! I'm a fan of the whole genus. Hmmm, I think someone (like me) needs to work on breeding more hardy mahonias. I've only seen one in Wisconsin so far and it looked like a short aquifolium.
ReplyDeleteI love the genus too as do the hummingbirds that stay here during the winter. Seems like one of them is nearly always in bloom when little else is providing nectar for them. Northern gardeners would love it if you could breed more hardy Mahonias for them!
DeleteLooks like a fantastic choice for a favorite plant of the week. I just love those delicate blooms!
ReplyDeleteThe blooms are very sweet and delicate. I'm wondering if the berries will be the same gorgeous blue ones that we see on so many other mahonias.
Deletethis is the best mahonia for me! i love it.
ReplyDelete