Mahonias are woody evergreen shrubs and the best of them flower in winter. In the past, they were regarded as something to shove in the shady corner or, even more insultingly, as car park plants. But now – thanks to the demand for architectural foliage – they are having their moment in the sun... or, rather, their moment in light shade, which is where they prefer to be.
The main garden forms are the Mahonia x media varieties. Their pinnate leaves are sharp and glossy and grow around the branches like Elizabethan ruffs. With a little choice pruning and shaping, these shrubs' natural architectural look can be amplified, so that the whorls of leaves grow in beautifully spaced tiers, adding wonderful structure to the garden.
Atop and amongst the green collars of leaves, clusters of long poker-shaped flower racemes bloom like bright-yellow flames throughout the winter months. As well as adding cheering colour, they exude a delicious scent that is reminiscent of lily of the valley and hangs in the air on still winter days. Being laden with nectar, they are one of the main food sources for the buff-tailed bumblebee, which is increasingly seen foraging in winter as a result of our warming climate. The plant also provides for birds by producing blue or black berries.
The M. x media cultivars are crosses between M. japonica (highly scented) and M. oiwakensis subsp.lomariifolia (very architectural with sun-yellow flowers), which – like most garden mahonias – hail from Asia. The exception is of course M. aquifolium (Oregon grape), which comes from the western coast of North America and is widely grown as shrubby ground cover, although its flowers are not scented. The genus is named after the Irish-American horticulturist, Bernard
Read more on houseandgarden.co.uk