Other Names:  Fremont's Mahonia, Desert Oregon Grape

Description:

A vigorous, upright, evergreen shrub with holly-like, green leaves that emerge tinged with purple, and age to blue-green; yellow flowers in spring are followed by red to black berries that are attractive to birds; a great hedge, screen, or accent plant

Ornamental Features

Fremont Barberry features showy clusters of yellow flowers at the ends of the branches from mid spring to early summer. It has attractive green foliage with hints of silvery blue which emerges purple in spring. The spiny oval compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. It produces deep purple berries from late summer to mid fall, which fade to black over time.

Landscape Attributes

Fremont Barberry is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering
• Spiny

Fremont Barberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Fremont Barberry will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for alkaline soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America.