Soft Caress Mahonia
Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ PP20183
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7a-9b Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub
Height at Maturity: 3-4′
Width at Maturity: 3-4′
Spacing: 2.5′ for solid hedges or mass plantings; 5’+ for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Bushy, Irregular, Upright
Growth Rate: Slow or Moderate
Flower Color: Yellow
Flower Size: Small, 0.5″
Flowering Period: Late Winter, Early Spring
Flower Type: Single
Fragrant Flowers: Yes
Foliage Color: Dark Green
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: No
Berry Color: NA
Sun Needs: Shade or Mostly Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Sun With Afternoon Shade
Water Needs: Very Low when established
Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist
Soil pH: 6.0 – 8.0 (Slightly Acid to Slightly Alkaline)
Maintenance / Care: Very Low
Attracts: Visual Attention
Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought, Heat, Insect
Description
When first laying eyes on ‘Soft Caress’ we didn’t know this plant was a Mahonia. We thought it might be unique variety of bamboo. Had it been in bloom we would have instantly recognized the genus by the pretty citron-yellow blooms held upright in clusters of “candles” which are typical of Mahonia. When we think of Mahonia, most of us think about holly-like stiff leaves with points on them. But, unlike the poky leaves of other Mahonia varieties, Soft Caress has elongated thread-like, soft-textured leaves that just beg you to touch or “caress” them.
In 2012, we picked up a few Soft Caress Mahonia and planted them in a shady spot in our trial gardens. Since then we’ve been amazed at how hardy and tough such a soft and gentle looking plant has proven itself to be. Neither intense heat or below 10 F temperatures have phased it. It just keeps growing and looks as nice in winter as it does in summer.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, Soft Caress Mahonia is ideal for use as an accent in small, shady garden spaces. Use it in groupings, mass plantings, or as a natural hedge in larger landscape borders and home foundation plantings. A fine addition to shade gardens, yellow theme gardens, cottage gardens, rock, Asian, and tropical look gardens. Consider Creeping Jenny or Vinca minor (Evergreen Periwinkle) as an underplanting.
Suggested Spacing: 2.5 apart for solid hedges or mass plantings; 5 feet or more apart for space between plants
How To Measure Total Square Feet Of A Planting Area
How Many Plants Needed To Cover A Planting Area?
Note: For our customers who live and garden North of USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 7a, where this Mahonia variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
Soft Caress Mahonia is very easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained soil of average fertility and shade to part shade. Morning sun with afternoon shade is okay, but avoid direct afternoon sun. Very easy to maintain requiring little or no pruning.
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The ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia arrived in good condition and were well-packaged. Like so many people in the southeastern US, we lost all of our boxwoods to the flash freeze in late December, 2022. The boxwoods were overgrown and hollow inside after decades of hedge trimming. Even boxwood blight resistant boxwoods will eventually be killed by boxwood blight, so they were no great loss. Now I don’t have to worry about boxwood issues anymore. The ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia were planted in a shady location under an oak tree and I look forward to seeing them grow and flower in a few weeks. This plant adds some textural variety to the shady front corner of my home and I like that it won’t need much maintenance. I like plants that grow to my target height and width for a space and don’t need pruning several times a year. I only wish these were native to my area to provide more support for local birds and pollinators, but no plant is perfect.————————————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the awesome review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
A very healthy plant arrived and was well packaged. It has been planted and we are looking forward to seeing it grow in our garden.———————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Plant was packed very well and very healthy upon arrival. Looking forward to watching it grow big and beautiful.————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG























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