Tall Oregon Grape

If you’re wondering if this shrub is defined partly by what it is not, namely short or small, you’d be right. There is also a Low Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa), and we really should get some on the median. This tall variety gets to six to eight feet tall, while the Low Oregon Grape never surpasses about three feet. Both have quite prickly leaves, very much like the English Holly bushes that are common in Seattle. Both are also appreciated for blue berries that are decidedly chalky looking, and tasty to birds, deer, as well as people making wine or jelly. For a northwest native, it has a comparatively limited range, from BC to Oregon.