#native shrub

One of my favorite shrubs, the flame azalea. Unlike the standard small around variety, these guys get tall. I can't grow a standard hybrid azalea to save me but my native flames are beautiful and healthy.

What’s this? The Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) that’s blooming on my property. Pretty, yes? By the way, the flowers turn into berries that kinda look like grapes, hence the plant’s name.

HA. It’s a BEAST and will be loaded with Elderberries! I better figure out a way to enjoy the fruit the birds don’t get!  Billions!

toyon berries by the garden

Osoberry flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Osoberry blooms earlier than any other native deciduous shrub. This makes it an important food source for pollinators as they emerge from hibernation or return from migration. The fruits are a sought-after food source for birds, small mammals, foxes, coyotes, deer, and bears. The fruit is edible for humans but it can be challenging to find before they are eaten by birds. The fruit ranges from sweet to bitter and it is near impossible to tell what you’ll get until you eat it. The range in sweetness is said to be affected by regionality but this has yet to be confirmed.

Snowberries are important to many species. The small, pink flowers attract numerous insect pollinators in the late spring and throughout the summer. The fruit serve as a valuable food source in the winter. They are not a preferred food source by most birds and small mammals but become a staple when other food sources have been depleted. In addition, snowberries provide ground cover for birds and small mammals in the summer and fall before their leaves drop.

The state flower of Oregon, Oregon grape is a beautiful, holly-like shrub commonly used as an ornamental garden plant. There are 3 native species in Oregon, Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium), Cascade Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa), and Creeping Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens). There is a dispute among botanists concerning the genus name, with many botanists arguing that the Mahonia genus is not distinct enough from Berberis to be its own genus. Due to this, you may see these species referred to as Berberis aquifolium, Berberis nervosa, and Berberis repens.

Cornus sericea is a stricking plant with its vibrant green leaves, deep red stems, and white drupes. Clusters of small white flowers usually bloom in the late spring to early summer. The berries appear in fall and can persist into the winter, making them a valuable food source for many species of birds and mammals. C. sericea’s clustered growth provides habitat for many birds and small mammals who take shelter and build nests in C. sericea’s branches. The flowers of C. sericea are rich in nectar and attract many species fo bees and butterflies. In addition, C. sericea is a larval host plant, along with other native dogwoods, for the Spring Azure Butterfly (Celestrina ladon).