Mahonia bealei, Leatherleaf Mahonia or Grapeholly is blooming now in the Wilson Display Garden. The Wilson Display Garden's path was washed out during the hurricane. New stone shavings have been added to the path, so come out and see the garden.

Leatherleaf Mahonia is an evergreen shrub, which can grow 6-12 feet high. Mahonia is a slow grower so it will take years to reach maturity. The foliage is dark to blue-green in color. The plant has a coarse texture and if unfamiliar with the plant the leaves resemble holly.

The flowers are lemon yellow and fragrant. Typically the plant blooms in March but this year it has already started and will be in full bloom all of January. The inflorescence are 3 to 6 inches high and 6 to 12 inches wide. The flowers turn into beautiful blue fruit in early May and is 1/3 to 1/2 inches long. The fruits resemble a robin's egg. Speaking of robins, birds love the fruit so when the fruits ripen the might get eaten up quickly.

Mahonias are quite hardy in Wilson and live in hardiness zones 4 to 9, depending on species and cultivar. Wilson is in Hardiness Zone 7.

Mahonia has a clumsy upright growth habit. It grows best in a shady corner, perhaps near a patio or deck to take advantage of the fragrant flowers.

Mahonia can be propagated by seed and can be sown straight from the fruit. You can purchase container grown plants and place them in a moist, well-drained, acid soil, avoid hot, dry soils and desiccating winds.

Mahonias can have leaf rust, leaf spots, leaf scorch (caused by wind or sun), barberry aphid, scale and whitefly. I have never experienced any of these pests in my home garden. My Mahonias were planted under longleaf pines. The key to that sentence was "were". Now that they are not in an ideal location pest problems may occur. Mahonia can be planted as a foundation plant, in the shrub border, as a specimen in a shady area.

So if you are looking for something different, give Mahonia a try.

Date Created: 12/12/00.