Grow and Care for Coffeeberry

Grow coffeeberry in sun or part shade, in soil that drains. Coffeeberry is Rhamnus. Shops also say California buckthorn.

Give it sun or part shade, and soil that drains

coffeeberry wants sun or part shade and a hole that drains. Water a new shrub twice a month in a dry summer for the first one or two years, then skip extra water except in a long dry spell. [1] [2] hollyleaf redberry uses that same sun and drain, on rockier ground, and you skip extra summer water once the roots take. It is the holly-leaved kind we hold, with bright red berries, not a second coffeeberry. [3]

Plant in fall at the same depth as the pot, and leave room

Plant a nursery shrub in fall, so the roots settle in winter rain before the first dry summer. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and no deeper than the old soil line. For a hedge, leave about 6 feet. For a full-size shrub, leave 10 to 15 feet.

1. Choose sun or part shade and soil that drains. Skip a low spot that stays wet after rain.
2. Plant in fall, or in early winter while the ground is still workable. Water a potted shrub an hour before you slip it out.
3. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and the same depth as the old soil line. Backfill with the soil you removed, and water in.
4. Leave about 6 feet for a hedge, or 10 to 15 feet for a full-size shrub. Mulch, and keep the mulch a few inches off the stems.
5. Water through the first one or two dry summers, then skip extra water except in a long dry spell.

Prune in dry weather to keep a hedge or a strong shape

Coffeeberry takes a cut well, so you can keep it as a hedge or tip-prune for a dense shape. Prune in dry weather so the cuts dry. Cut dead or crossing wood back to a live stem. On hollyleaf redberry, prune while it is young so the crown fills; wait until the red berries are gone if you still want that crop for birds.

1. Wait for dry weather. Summer is the usual window once the shrub is in the ground.
2. Tip-prune to keep a hedge or a dense outline. Do not leave stubs.
3. Cut dead, damaged, or crossing wood back to a live stem.
4. On a young hollyleaf redberry, prune so it thickens instead of staying open and lanky.

Not a coffee plant — and not common buckthorn

A shop tag that says coffee plant is often an indoor Coffea with beans for a house, not this California shrub. Kentucky coffee tree is Gymnocladus, a large deciduous tree with pods, not a hedge. Common buckthorn is a thorny invasive from another continent, and glossy buckthorn is Frangula alnus; do not plant those. [4] Carolina buckthorn is a different native in the same family — see How to Grow Carolina Buckthorn. Hollyleaf cherry is Prunus, a toothed evergreen with different fruit — see How to Grow Prunus. Holly is Ilex — see How to Grow Holly. Toyon is a California holly with red clusters, not Rhamnus.

Sow fresh seed shallow, or chill stored seed

Buy a nursery plant if you want a hedge this season. If you start from seed, sow fresh seed a quarter to a half inch deep. Do not bury it deeper, because it will not come up. Stored seed needs a cold, moist rest for about three months before spring.

1. Collect soft berries in late summer or early fall. Coffeeberry fruit is black when the seed is ready; hollyleaf redberry fruit is red. Crush, rinse, and keep the seeds.
2. Sow fresh seed a quarter to a half inch deep. Keep the surface moist until sprouts show, often in about 45 days.
3. If the seed has dried, soak it for 24 hours, then chill it in barely moist perlite for about three months. Check for mold, and keep the mix barely damp.
4. Move seedlings to a deep pot once a root shows, then plant them out in fall.

Set coffeeberry in sun or part shade, in soil that drains, water a new shrub through the first dry summers, and prune in dry weather so the hedge stays dense.