Evergreen Ground Cover With Yellow Flowers

Description

• Wild creeping mahonia plants seldom exceed 12 inches tall, with an 18-inch spread. Those in cultivation, however, may reach as tall as 2 feet in ideal conditions. All of them have compound, spiny-edged, hollylike evergreen foliage. Each leaf contains up to seven leaflets. The typically bluish-green leaves sometimes develop hints of soft orange, rust or mauve, and assume purple tones in cold weather. The plant's dense, cascading clusters of bright-yellow early-spring flowers give way to green summer berries. Ripening to purple in late summer, the edible fruit attracts birds.

Growing Conditions

• Creeping mahonia survives winter temperatures approaching minus 20 degrees F in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 5, although it may require winter protection in the coldest parts of its range. Happiest where summers are cool, it grows best in American Horticultural Society Heat Zones 3 to 8, where temperatures rise above a plant-stressing 86 degrees F fewer than 120 days a year. This ground cover flourishes in sun to partial shade and moist, acidic soil high in organic material. Plants in alkaline soils with pH readings above 7.0 may develop chlorotic leaf yellowing.

Culinary Uses

• Creeping mahonia berries must undergo one or two spells of subfreezing temperatures before becoming sweet enough to eat. Blended with apples, they make tasty jelly. The Pacific Northwest's early settlers used the fruit as a pie and wine ingredient. The region's native peoples also consumed the Vitamin C-rich berries.

Medicinal Uses

• Pacific Northwest tribes found several medicinal uses for creeping mahonia's roots and root bark. The crushed, dried roots served them as treatments for ulcers, as well as for kidney, digestive and joint problems. They also alleviated coughs. Their health benefits were impressive enough that the area's 19th-century settlers began using commercially prepared Oregon grape root tonics. The roots contain concentrations of the alkaloid berberine, a homeopathic blood purifier.

Other Historical Uses

• Creeping mahonia's roots provided Native Americans with yellow dye, and the plant's flowers produced lavender dye. Crushed into water, the flowers also make a drink similar to lemonade.

Warning

• This evergreen's leaves, stems and unripe berries contain alkaloid substances mildly toxic to people. The unripe berries' sour taste, however, discourages their consumption. Cold-ripened fruit is safe to eat.