Mahonia aquifolium

The Mahonia aquifolium, also known as Berberis aquifolium, better known by its names of False Holly Mahonia or Holly-leaved Mahonia, is a small, bushy, thorny shrub with beautiful evergreen foliage similar to that of holly, which turns more or less purple in winter. Its small clusters of golden and fragrant flowers, radiating beauty, will remind gardeners in cold regions of the flowering of mimosas in late winter. With decorative fruiting in summer, this shrub is decorative all year round. In addition to all these qualities, it has a very accommodating character that allows it to thrive in all climates, in any soil, even in the shade of large trees.

The Mahonia aquifolium is an evergreen shrub with a trailing rhizome, slightly suckering. It belongs to the berberidaceae family, just like Berberis, Nandina, and Epimedium for example. It is a botanical species native to the northwest of the U.S.A., particularly California, Oregon, and British Columbia. The shrub has been naturalized in western Europe for a long time. Unlike Asian species, this Mahonia tolerates the presence of limestone in the soil and is content with ordinary soil, even dry in summer once well established.

The Mahonia aquifolium has a bushy, well-branched habit. Its growth is rather slow, reaching about 1m (3.3ft) in all directions at the age of 10 years, on average 1.50m (4.9ft) in the long run depending on the growing conditions. Its 30cm (11.8in) long leaves are alternately arranged on the branches. They are composed of tough, spiny leaflets, of a bright green colour. Under the effect of winter cold, they turn purple, especially if the plant receives some sun. Its flowers appear from the month of February, small and assembled in pyramidal clusters 10cm (3.9in) long, a beautiful bright yellow colour and fragrant. After pollination by insects, they are followed by black-blue berries. This beautiful fruiting has earned this shrub its nickname "Oregon grapevine."

Perfectly hardy, tolerant of summer drought and unaffected by the roots of large trees, Mahonia aquifolium is a versatile shrub that is not often considered for filling difficult areas of the garden. Resistant to wind and urban pollution, with normal to fast growth depending on the conditions, it tolerates full sun in cool regions or dense shade in hot climates. Few shrubs have as many qualities in their repertoire, making them almost indispensable in the garden. Mahonia aquifolium  responds well to pruning, for example in a hedge. It can be used individually, in a shrub bed, as a defensive hedge, in a container, or for retaining slopes. In this case, prune it short every year after flowering. Sacred bamboo and Sarcococca will be good companions in the dappled shade under large trees. In sunnier areas, it will blend perfectly with Mexican orange blossom, escallonias, or Abelias, for example.

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

The name Mahonia was given to this shrub in honour of Bernard Mc Mahon, an American botanist (1755-1816).