![]() ![]() Sometimes I have reservations about the whole process. I read a lot of books and write some sort of review about almost all of them. A recent post by a fellow writer inspired me to revisit it. I just read over them, but didn’t think I’d finished with the topic. Since I started blogging, I’ve written at least half a dozen posts about book reviewing, the most recent ones in 2019. It’s quite possible I skimmed over or ignored mentions of these plants’ less desirable qualities. Especially if the plant was native to my region native plants are always good. If an author conveyed their enthusiasm about a plant in eloquent prose, I was convinced. When I was making this garden in the early 1990s, the internet was just getting going. Not true it will grow in bone dry soil once established, but it does need good drainage. It claims the plant needs “moist but well-drained” soil. The site makes casual mention of suckers, recommending that they be removed if one does not want the plant to naturalize (which means “take over”). ![]() Hah! The oldest parts of mine are more than 10 feet tall, and I’ve dug up their suckers several yards from the parent plant. One web site describes Mahonia aquifolium as growing 3 to 6 feet tall with a 2 to 5 foot spread. I think the Mahonia is also an RHS award winner. Snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus) and Oregon Grape ( Mahonia aquifolium) are both touted as gardenworthy native plants, deer- and drought-proof, BUT both sucker like mad and aren’t suitable for small gardens unless situated so sucker control is doable.
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