Media Mahonia Berberis x hortensis
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Mahonia x media
- Phonetic Spelling
- BER-ber-is hor-TEN-sis
- Description
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Media Mahonia is an interspecific hybrid shrub developed in 1951 from parents B. oiwakensis and B. japonica. The plant can be variable in appearance and look more like one parent than the other.
It grows in a wide range of soils but prefers to be evenly moist in well-drained acidic soil. Plant in part shade in an area protected from harsh winds. It is drought-tolerant and its fruit attracts birds. The plant spreads by suckers and forms thickets. Birds will eat the berries and spread the seeds.
This plant has attractive yellow flowers from winter to spring in upright spreading clusters. Flowers are followed by blue-black berries that attract birds. The spiny, glossy leaves add winter interest and have a reddish fall color.
It does well in a woodland setting or as a specimen plant. Adds winter interest to the garden. See native alternatives to the left.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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'Arthur Menzies'
- 'Buckland'
Grows to 20 feet tall - 'Charity'
Frond-like leaves, whorled on stems - 'Hope'
Showy yellow flowers from fall through winter
6-8 feet tall - 'Buckland'
- 'Arthur Menzies', 'Buckland', 'Charity', 'Hope', 'Winter Sun'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
-
'Arthur Menzies'
- 'Buckland'
Grows to 20 feet tall - 'Charity'
Frond-like leaves, whorled on stems - 'Hope'
Showy yellow flowers from fall through winter
6-8 feet tall - 'Buckland'
- 'Arthur Menzies', 'Buckland', 'Charity', 'Hope', 'Winter Sun'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Berberis
- Family:
- Berberidaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Fruit raw or cooked
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Australia, Asia, Europe
- Wildlife Value:
- Fruit attracts birds
- Edibility:
- Fruits are edible in moderation as they can cause stomach upset.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 13 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 9 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Spines
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Blue
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Blue/black clusters of grape-like showy fruits.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Winter
- Flower Shape:
- Bell
- Flower Petals:
- 6 petals/rays
- Flower Description:
- Flowers from February to April with sweetly scented yellow blooms in upright spreading racemes.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Obovate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- The 10-24 inch long compound leaves have 11-17 pairs of leaflets and a terminal leaflet. The fall color is in reds.
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Bark:
- Bark Description:
- Bark has insignificant ornamental value
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Spines on the stems
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Shade Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Fire
- Rabbits
- Problems:
- Spines/Thorns
- Weedy
