Winter blues, hearty blooms
Gardeners are always looking for something interesting for their winter garden, and that is doubly true for shady locations. One tough customer that fits that bill is Mahonia, an evergreen shrub native to Japan, China and the western United States.
One species in the latter locale, Mahonia aquifolium, is better known as Oregon grape. The common name isn’t entirely whimsical. Mahonia species produce vivid purplish-blue berries after flowering that are a favorite of birds and animals. Mahonia species are perhaps best known for their prickly pinnate leaves. These foot-long, bright green leaves are composed of as many as nine ovate, spiny-toothed leaflets, giving these shrubs a “briar patch” reputation. Don’t be deterred; these shrubs gradually sprout racemes of bright gold flowers that make for a spectacular winter show. And even if the birds don’t come calling for the vividly colored berries, you’ll get to enjoy the cornucopia for as long as a month.
Mahonias come close to being one of our near-perfect plants. They are easy to grow and require only a small amount of water to establish; when fully established, they require almost no water at all. They resist disease, and the leaves are so tough that insects don’t mess with them. They mature quickly and will grow under almost any conditions. They provide year-round green appeal and add the golden flowers and dark blue berries for good measure. Their upkeep is minimal; usually, just trimming will maintain the shape you desire.
The four main Mahonia species give gardeners a choice when it comes to size and leaf form: M. aquifoliums stay small, topping out at around 3 feet. They are prolific berry producers and are found in great numbers in Oregon and on the northern West Coast. M. japonica is larger, growing to 6 feet in height. (A popular hybrid, Bealei, known as Leatherleaf mahonia, is a bit shorter and is a later bloomer with shorter clusters of flowers.) M. lomariifolia, my favorite, is much taller (to 10 feet) and produces possibly the most extravagant sprays of golden flowers. Native to the Yunnan province of China, it blooms earlier, most commonly in late autumn or early winter. One of the most popular Mahonias is M. x media, a cross between the japonica and lomariifolia species. This is likely to be the largest of the four groups, with plants stretching to the 12- to 15-foot range. It shares the long flower spikes of M. lomariifolia as well as that species’ fragrance. Plants can sport 17-20 sharply toothed mid-green leaflets.
Mahonias are versatile shrubs. They are showy enough to feature in a visible part of your garden but are tough enough to fill up a space that won’t be all that easy to spot. They’ll grow in complete shade, thrive in it, in fact, but can take some morning sun. Though they are drought tolerant once established, they’re adaptable to locations that get regular water. Though they are usually used as landscape shrubs, the smaller varieties can be used in an ornamental planter.