shrub
Soft Caress mahonia 'Soft Caress'
Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' is a slow-growing evergreen shrub for gardens in zones 7–9. It grows 2–3 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide, so plant it 2.5 ft apart. Give it part sun to shade and average water. It flowers yellow in October to November. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest and the Mountain West, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
- Plant type
- Shrub, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 7 to 9
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Needs good drainage; tolerates dry shade once established.
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft tall × 2–3 ft wide
- Spacing
- 2.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Oct–Nov · yellow
- Roles in a bed
- Structure
- Styles
- modern, classic
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not separately listed; the ASPCA lists Mahonia (Oregon grape) as non-toxic to dogs and cats.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $35–$50 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
- Pruning
- Rarely needs pruning; remove any untidy stems at the base in spring.
Sources: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Southeastern extension deer-resistance lists (UGA, Clemson, UF/IFAS); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a part-shade bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a shady bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a shady bed in zone 9 (as a substitute)
- Shade plants for humid summers in zone 8, Southeast (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Soft Caress mahonia 'Soft Caress', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Cast iron plantAspidistra elatiorperennial · zones 7–11
- Holly fernCyrtomium falcatumfern · zones 7–10
- Mondo grassOphiopogon japonicusgroundcover · zones 7–10
- Hairy alumroot 'Caramel'Heuchera villosa 'Caramel'perennial · zones 4–9
- Dwarf mondo grass 'Nana'Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nana'groundcover · zones 7–10
- Japanese sedge 'Evergold'Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Soft Caress mahonia 'Soft Caress': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants