Salal and Oregon grape are two of the most common and recognizable understory plants in our Northwest forests, often living side by side in dense thickets. Yet their culinary charms remain hidden, in ...

If your garden lacks interest during the cold months of winter, consider some evergreens. Salal ( Gaultheria shallon ) and Oregon grape ( Mahonia spp.) -- both West Coast natives -- are beautiful, ...

CORVALLIS – When winter comes and the menu for birds shrinks in urban backyards, they rely on the kindness of humans. That doesn’t mean just a bird feeder of seeds and nuts. “Different birds are ...

This is the fifty-ninth in a series of articles from the staff of the Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center that will provide resources and outdoor activity ideas for students and families. The public ...

Why it’s choice: The state flower of Oregon, it has just about everything going for it as a garden plant. It starts out in spring with copper-colored new growth, turns shiny green in summer and then ...

The second week of November was spectacular, a brief return to the warmer days of October. I spent most of the week wandering in the woods, enjoying every minute. Granted, all the trees and shrubs had ...

There is no shortage of yellow these days, with gorse blazing its mustard yellow on every roadside in a truly remarkable display and the great rush of yellow in gardens with forsythia, now just going ...

Which is it: Oregon grape, Oregon holly-grape, Oregon grape-holly or Oregongrape? Take your pick, since all these references are acceptable, with or without the dash. But don’t let the names fool you, ...

This native evergreen shrub sprouts yellow flowers from midwinter to early spring and hummingbirds love its nectar. Plus, it ...

The berries I just noticed overhanging a parkade ramp in a Fairview back alley are blue but certainly aren’t blueberries—they have the same dusty blue ski,n but that’s the only similarity. I could be ...

Grape berry softening is a crucial physiological transition that affects postharvest storage, transport, and flavor. During ripening, the cell wall components—pectin, cellulose, and ...