Another childhood memory plant, our neighbor, Mrs. Hardy, had a large Mahonia shrub on the property line when I was growing up. As kids, we believed that the berries were poisonous. They were good for coloring our various potions and mud pies. I remember finding out the hard way that walking barefoot anywhere near an Oregon grape is a bad idea–the leaf thorns become extra agressive after the leaves fall off and dry.

I added one Oregon grape to my new native plant garden in April 2020. It is a decent-sized start, at around three feet tall, and blooming-sized.

My future plans for Oregon grapes are to keep an eye on its spread and enjoy the flowers and fruit in the coming years.