Berberis repens

Common Names

Creeping Barberry, Creeping Mahonia, Creeping Oregon Grape, Creeping Grape Holly

Summary

Creeping barberry is an evergreen creeping subshrub native to western North America, typically 2–20 cm tall (rarely up to 60 cm) and spreading by underground rhizomes. Leaves are compound, usually with 5–7 leaflets; leaflets are dark green above and lighter and downy beneath, with 6–24 teeth tipped with spines. Fall and winter foliage bronzes or reddens in sun. Flowers are yellow and fragrant, in dense racemes 4–10 cm long in early spring, followed by dark purple-black berries 6–10 mm long. It occurs in open forest, shrubland, and grassland at 200–3000 m and is fire-adapted, resprouting after disturbance; berries and leaves provide wildlife forage, with birds and small mammals consuming the berries.

Cultivation and uses: prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soils, tolerates sandy to loamy textures, pH roughly 5.5–7.0 (tolerates 4.5–7.5); drought-tolerant once established; propagation by seed, rhizomes, stolons, or stem layering; winter sun can scorch leaves. Used as a xeric ornamental and erosion-control ground cover; evergreen foliage provides year-round cover; flowers attract pollinators and berries attract wildlife; berries are edible for humans but tart, used for jellies or wine.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

1-2 feet

Spread

2-3 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6a-8b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun to Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained soil, with sandy loam to loam textures; pH 5.5–7.0 (tolerates 4.5–7.5).

Soil Drainage

Moist, well-drained soil.

Soil pH

5.5-7.0

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Green to blue-green, evergreen foliage that may turn bronze, red, purple, or reddish-brown in fall/winter.

Fall Foliage Color

No fall color; evergreen.

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Fall, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Layering, Cuttings, Division, Rhizome division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds