Most of the Japanese and Chinese holly that are more commonly planted around town have smaller leaves than I want for that bed which also has a De groot's Spire on each end of the bed standing like exclamation points.

Since the fan shape leaves on the DG Spires are so drastically different from the hibiscus leaf shape; I wanted a larger and more droopy leaf holly to plant in the same bed with the DG Spires. That along with their shorter more compact growth pattern is what first attracted me to the oregon grape holly.

Is that a bad choice on my part?

At the nursery today, when I asked one of the workers there to show me where I could find these holly, the worker commented that very few people come to purchase their oregon grape holly.

My first response to that statement was to suggest that might be because most local nurseries did not sell that holly, and most local people are not familiar enough with it to even know if they would want one for their yard.

Now though, I am wondering if I was wrong, and if there are some negative aspects about the oregon grape holly that keeps more people from seeking it to purchase.

I am also wondering why more local landscapers are not suggesting it and creating more of a demand for it in their landscape beds they design.

Mistaking it for a holly 'might' allow you to think that you can plant it in the same kind of location that hollies prefer. In fact, all Mahonia species prefer full to partial shade.

As for people not purchasing it, I imagine it is because people don't know about it.

Katrina, is the scientific name on the tag?

The shrub in question is called a Mahonia aquifdium 'Compacta'

They are in 3.5 gallon, deep pots that have the Monrovia logo on them. The tag indicates that they grow 2-3 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide.

I got them to plant in the front of a southern facing foundation bed, which does get generous amounts of noonday and afternoon into evening shade cast onto the house and front yard caused by the west side neighbor's multi trunked, overgrown 15 to 20 year or so old maple tree.

Thanks for all the helpful and any future comments, which will help me give them the best care possible.

I did not know it was not a true form of holly. They currently have what appears to be light blue berries on them, and those led me to believe that if it is commonly called a compact Oregon Grape Holly; it must be some form of Holly. Will the berries stay hard like holly berries, or are they only like that now so early in the year. If not, do they swell and grow to be juicy like a grape?

I am happy to read that it is not a true holly. Since it is not a true holly, am I correct in thinking that I will not need to be worried about finding a male form of cultivar for it to enable these shurbs to produce blue berries again next year? Or do I need to go back to the nursery and look for one which is not displaying any blue berries and plant it in another location close by to ensure these do reproduce berries every year?

And you don't need a male and female plant. Unlike true hollies, the flowers are unisexual ('perfect') and contain both male and female parts, therefore the plants are self-fertile.

The collection of information responses I have received all give me hope that I was not wrong to purchase these shrubs.

Thanks again for all the help

I did wonder if their flowers would be too small or hidden to be noticed without the viewer having to be very close to even see them. Thanks for the suggestion of the improved cultivar 'Charity.' It certainily does sound like a cultivar worth my time for me to research more.

Katrina, if your mahonias are planted at the front of the border or planting area, the flowers should be quite obvious when they appear. It is a suckering shrub by habit so limiting the spread will need attention.

If you're in Oklahoma, I think M. aquifolium, any variety, would need to be in more shade the sun, as it is native to a cooler, cloudier climate.

"Occurs in maritime to submaritime summer-dry cool mesothermal climates on very dry to moderately dry, nitrogen-medium soils; its occurrence decreases with increasing latitude, elevation, and precipitation. Most frequent on exposed mineral soil of recently cleared and burnt, water-shedding sites. Characteristic of disturbed, moisture-deficient sites."

--Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia

'Compacta' is a nice cultivar, with distinctive habit and leaf shape.

Years ago I purchased what I thought was a holly tree at a Christmas decorations store. It was decorated with fake red holly berries attached by wire. I was told this "breed of it couldn't survive the New England winters.

I planted it outside in a location where it gets full sun. (I was misinformed about what it was.) It has survived and grown huge, although the leaves are usually "burned" with some browning. I never got berries until this year (leading me to think it was a male holly tree).

This year it had a few berries, and I discovered it was an Oregon grape Holly.

It's leaves are beautiful, edged with white.

It survived in this wildly wrong location (which is something) but did usually look sick.

I will have to take exception to those who claim it is self fertile.

Ilex aquifolium is of marginal hardiness in zone 6 but should survive under most conditions. Mahonia is tough as nails and M. aquifolium will tolerate zone 4. The Ilex is NOT self fertile, however IME a male pollinator does not need to be all that close by to produce berries. Easy way to tell if an Ilex rather than a Mahonia - Mahonias produce bluish-purple berries while Ilex berries are red, orange or rarely, white.

It does look exactly like what you described, though.