Mahonia aquifolium Apollo

The Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo' is a valuable and ornamental variety of Mahonia with holly-like leaves, easy to fit into small spaces and grow in pots on a terrace or balcony. This compact bushy shrub is also more floriferous than the species it originates from. The numerous dark yellow and fragrant flower clusters will remind gardeners in colder regions of mimosa blooms in late winter. It remains decorative throughout the year, draped in persistent and spiky foliage similar to holly leaves, with a dark and glossy green color that often turns purple in winter. In addition to these qualities, the shrub has an accommodating character that allows it to thrive in all climates, in any soil, even in the shade of large trees.

The Mahonia aquifolium, also known as Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is an evergreen and slightly suckering shrub in the Berberidaceae family, along with Berberis, Nandina, and Epimedium, for example. It is native to the northwest United States, specifically California, Oregon, and British Columbia, and has been naturalized in western Europe for a long time. Unlike Asian species, this Mahonia tolerates limestone in the soil and can thrive in ordinary soil, even if dry in summer once well-established.

The 'Apollo' cultivar is more compact, reaching about 80 cm (32 in) in all directions, but it is also more floriferous and has larger leaves. Well-branched and bushy, it bears persistent leaves that are 30 cm (12 in) long, alternate, and divided into tough and spiny leaflets. The foliage, bright and light green in spring, darkens in summer and often turns purple due to cold in winter. From February, numerous small, early, and fragrant flowers appear, gathered in generous dark yellow pyramidal clusters, measuring 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in). These nectar-rich flowers are highly attractive to bees and later give way to dark blue-black berries.

Perfectly hardy, tolerant of summer drought and poor soils, tolerant of the roots of large trees, Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo' is an all-purpose shrub that is not often considered for difficult areas of the garden. Resistant to wind and urban pollution, it has a normal to fast growth rate depending on conditions and can tolerate full sun in cooler regions or dense shade in hot climates. Few shrubs possess as many qualities as this one, making it indispensable in the garden. Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo' can be used in various ways and responds well to pruning, for example, in a small hedge. It can be used as a standalone plant, in a shrub border, as a defensive hedge, in containers, and also for slope retention. In the latter cases, prune it short every year after flowering. Berberis and Sarcococca make good companions in the shade of large trees. In a Mediterranean-style  border, it can be associated, for example, with Garrya elliptica, Prunus illicifolia, Romneya coulteri, and evergreen ceanothus, all native to the Californian chaparral, equivalent to our Corsican maquis.

Tip: Do not plant too closely in borders, as it prefers an airy environment and spreads through suckers without being invasive.