Quercus berberidifolia, Scrub Oak

Scrub Oak

A small shrubby evergreen Oak native to California.  It will slowly grow up to twenty feet tall and fifteen feet wide.  Cream flowers bloom winter through spring.  The leaves are leathery on the top and hairy on the bottom.  Great for bank stabilization and used as a hedge.  You should leave the fallen oak leaves on the ground, it is the best mulch!  This plant produces a pollen that can produce an allergic reaction.

It is best to prune in the late summer, August through September after all active growth has stopped.  During the spring the leaves will turn yellow and drop, new foliage will grow.  It is not recommended to water during that time or provide summer irrigation.  

Plant with: Toyon, Chamise, Laurel Sumac, Heartleaf Penstemon, White Pitcher Sage, Woolly Bluecurls, Tree Poppy, Ceanothus spp, Manzanita species

- Full sun to part shade

- Best in fast draining granite or sandstone soils

- Attracts birds and butterflies

- Hardy up to 20 degrees