California Coffeeberry

Coffeeberry is a great candidate for that hard-to-fill niche of an evergreen native shrub that also attracts birds and pollinators; is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and fire resistant; and even makes a good hedge or screen. In fact, it may well be the only plant that fills that niche!

Coffeeberry is a west coast native; occurring from southern Oregon all the way south into Baja California. Its common name is derived from the look of its fruit: berries that change from green to red to almost black over the course of the year. The blooms are inconspicuous clusters of tiny pale green flowers, but pollinators of all kinds flock to them nonetheless, and birds definitely notice the colorful berries that follow.  This handsome shrub has four season good looks with rich green leathery foliage, burgundy red stems on new growth, understated spring bloom and the spectacular show of berries in the fall.  

Rhamnus makes a great informal hedge, or repeat player in a mixed hedgerow, usually growing at a medium rate to 6-8′ tall and wide, with the potential to get larger in more wooded areas. The named variety ‘Eve Case’ has broader and brighter, green foliage and will stay a bit more compact at 4-8′ wide and tall. Its leaves are long and pointed and are a matte green with a paler underside.  Another compact California selection we grow is ‘Mound San Bruno’. Although reportedly less tolerant of heat, full sun and cold, we have only found to it be as excellent as ‘Eve Case’, only with smaller leaves and a tighter habit.  That being said, ‘Mound San Bruno’ still has the capability of expanding to 4-6′ tall and up to twice that in width.  Partial sun and more regular water fits the bill nicely with this one.  And both can handle regular pruning in spring to keep their size in check if need be.  

Coffeeberry prefers full sun but can also be happy in part shade or a more wooded garden. In the Rogue Valley, it can tolerate the heat and most soils, although it prefers a sandy, well-draining soil. This is truly a drought-tolerant plant – once established, it can survive on no irrigation. To keep it more fire resistant, though, we recommend giving it a deep soak every two weeks during the summer months. We have found Coffeeberry to be quite deer resistant in most situations, especially once established. Though deer may have a tendency to taste new plants or nibble on them when desperate in the fall and winter, so be sure to protect them when young and seasonally, until they attain a decent size.

If you are new to growing native plants, this is a great plant to start with. Try it out to see how easy, attractive, and sustainable native plants can be in your garden!