Mahonia

Mahonia japonica

• Position: full or partial shade
• Soil: moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist or well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: November to March
• Hardiness: fully hardy

  
  Slender spikes of pale yellow flowers appear from November to March, above rosettes of handsome, dark green, holly-like leaves. The flowers of this lovely, evergreen shrub have a fragrance reminiscent of lily-of-the-valley, and seem to glow in the wintry sunlight. They are followed by masses of round, deep purple berries. This is a useful shrub for partial shade, or woodland areas in the garden, where it will gently spread and suppress weeds. It will tolerate sun as long as the soil remains moist.
  

• Garden care: Prune in spring after flowering, reducing overlong, leggy stems to a sideshoot or a whorl of foliage and apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant.
  
  
• Goes well with: Kerria japonica, Sarcococca confusa, Magnolia stellata, Pulmonaria officinalis 'Sissinghurst White', Scilla siberica, Eranthis hyemalis
  
  

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