‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia:  A Fall Blooming Favorite

by | Nov 13, 2024 | Florida Friendly Landscaping, Ornamental Shrubs, Outdoor Landscaping, Shrubs

One of my favorite landscape plants is blooming right now in Panhandle landscapes – ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia.  ‘Soft Caress’ was first introduced into the commercial nursery trade in 2006 and included in the Southern Living Plant Collection, but didn’t achieve garden fame until 2013 when it won first place in the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) prestigious Chelsea Flower Show.  I first planted a group of ‘Soft Caress’ about ten years ago and as those plants have matured, so too has my appreciation for them.  The following are a couple of my favorite outstanding aspects of these small shrubs.

Fall Flowers.  Other than camellias, there isn’t a lot else in Panhandle landscapes blooming from mid-November to January and ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia helps fill that flower void.  Brilliant yellow flower spikes rise above the deep-green fernlike foliage and very welcome in this otherwise drab and dreary gardening season.

‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia’s winter flowers are excellent pollinator attractors. Photo courtesy Daniel Leonard.

Quick growing but small statured.  If you’ve gardened very long, you’ll know this is a tough ask!  Plants that reach mature size relatively rapidly but also don’t get very big are a rare breed.  ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia grows quickly but also maxes out in size rather quickly – mine are very easily maintained at 3-4’ in height with a single annual trim.

~10-year old ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia Shrub. Photo courtesy Daniel Leonard.

Extremely tough and adaptable.   My Mahonia plants have persisted through drought, hurricanes, floods, and freezes and have never looked better.  These little plants are simply tough.  They’ve had no disease issues and no pest problems (except for a little deer browsing one year, but that appears to be an isolated incident).  While they prefer shade, they can also handle several hours of morning sun without incident.

‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia is a standout plant that fills a mostly flowerless period in landscapes, fills its designated landscape spot quickly but won’t outgrow it, and is truly tough.  Add a couple to your landscape this winter!

Daniel J. Leonard
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