Mahonia japonica Hivernant

Mahonia japonica 'Hivernant', also known as Winter Mahonia, is a beautiful evergreen bush with an exotic appearance and an upright and bushy habit. It produces a splendidly fragrant winter flowering, followed by decorative purple berries.

Native to Asia and North America, Winter Mahonia belongs to the Berberidaceae family. It is a medium-sized evergreen bush, about 1.5m (5ft) in all directions, with slow growth and vigorous branches. Its habit is upright, lightly branched, and slightly spreading. Its dark green, variegated foliage with yellow veins is truly remarkable. It consists of spiny, leathery, and large leaves grouped in crowns, reaching up to 50cm (20in). It boasts sparkling and abundant winter flowering, exuding a pleasant lily-of-the-valley fragrance. From November to March, it produces large clusters of pale-yellow flowers, with a plum-coloured base. The flowers are upright and then spread out, measuring 15 to 25cm (6 to 10in). This abundant flowering is followed by the appearance of ovoid blue-purple berries, which remain on the plant for quite some time.

This splendid Winter Mahonia is a beautiful bush that can be used in shrub beds, groups, as a standalone plant, in hedges, borders, understory, or even in pots. It can be planted in partial shade or full shade, where it will brighten up the least sunny areas of the garden.

In partial shade, it will enhance Chimonanthus, Corylus avellana, or Camellia sasanqua. With its exotic appearance, it will blend in well with bamboo, other varieties of mahonia, or Japanese Aralia for a truly tropical ambiance!

In shade, it will wonderfully accompany Mexican Orange, variegated Pieris japonica, ferns, and hellebores. You can also plant it with daffodils, tulips, and wood hyacinth bulbs to add bursts of colour to its flowering!

Tip: It is possible to create a fragrant bouquet with a very contemporary look using mahonia branches. Cut the branches when the flower buds just start to turn yellow, and this sculptural floral composition will last a long time.

The genus name mahonia was chosen in tribute to Bernard Mac Mahon (1775-1816), an American botanist of Irish origin, founder of the Philadelphia Botanical Garden in the early 19th century. The first mahonias were introduced to Europe from America as early as 1823.