librarian2003 (librarian2003) wrote in weagardening, @ 2008-01-18 17:25:00 |
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Week 1 - Shrub of the week : Mahonia x media
Our first shrub of the week is that wonderful provider of winter colour and scent, Mahonia x media.
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE
Plant of the Week
March
Mahonia x media - Lily of the valley bush
Family : Berberidaceae
Mahonias are impressive winter-flowering shrubs, which make an imposing feature in a border. They have yellow flowers whose scent is reminiscent of lily-of-the-valley. They are closely related to berberis, but with larger, bolder leaves. These leaves are glossy, evergreen and pinnate - that is, divided into pairs of spiky leaflets. They often take on red or purple tints when the weather turns cold.
The name media comes from the word 'intermediate', meaning 'in the middle', or 'between'. Mahonia x media is a hybrid of garden origin, a cross between M. japonica and M. lomariifolia, and was recognised in 1979. It is a valuable flowering evergreen, which has striking - if unkindly - foliage. They look particularly good at the back of borders when plants in front die down in winter to reveal the beauty of their flowers and foliage.
Mahonia japonica AGM is only known in cultivation in Japan and is probably of Chinese origin, having been introduced into our gardens in the middle of the 19th century. Much confusion exists between M. japonica and M. bealei. Nowadays M. bealei is placed as a variety of M. japonica. It is a handsome, statuesque garden plant, growing to about 2m (7ft), and as much across, with 5 to 7 pairs of leaflets, and flowering from winter time to March/April. The fragrant flowers are terminal and are lemon-yellow, held in loose spreading racemes. It also has masses of oval, purple fruit in early summer. This species is a reliable, hardy shrub. Mahonia japonica Bealei Group has shorter but more upright spikes of flower. It was given an Award of Merit in 1916 and an Award of Garden Merit in 1984.
Mahonia lomariifolia AGM is native to north Burma and northwest Yunnan and was introduced in 1931 from Tengueh by Major Johnston of Hidcote Manor fame. In the wild, this species has tree-like proportions (10m), with interesting fissured bark, and dark-green leaves to 2ft long, but as it is not as hardy as other species, its height is generally much reduced in the UK. Mahonia lomariifolia holds its flowers erect in dense spikes up to 20cm (8") long and flowers from November to February in a sheltered site. It was given an Award of Merit in1938 as a foliage plant (it has 14 to 20 pairs of broadly lanceolate, spiny leaflets at right angles to the stem), and a First Class Certificate in 1939.
With this sort of parentage it is not surprising their progeny are also good garden plants. It was from a single batch of Mahonia lomariifolia seedlings, raised at Slieve Donard Nursery in Northern Ireland, that the cultivars ‘Charity’ and ‘Winter Sun’ were discovered.
Some were bought in 1950/51 by John Russell of Richmond Nursery in Surrey. Sir Eric Savill and Findlay Hope selected six seedlings for Savill Garden at Windsor. One of them was quite distinct for, when it flowered, it showed intermediate characters between the two parents. On receiving a Preliminary Certificate in 1957, it was named Mahonia 'Charity'. Higher honours followed with an Award of Merit in 1959 and, in 1962, a First Class Certificate.
From the same batch of Slieve Donard seedlings, another first class Mahonia was selected and called 'Winter Sun'. It obtained an Award of Garden Merit in 1984 for Leslie Slinger of Slieve Donard.
Mahonia flowers are individually small and globular or bell-like in shape, but in M x media cultivars they are carried in long racemes. They open from the centre of the plant first, and flowering lasts for many weeks. The flowers are often followed by small, plum-coloured fruits, which are much loved by birds.
M x media cultivars are hardy anywhere in this country, although Mahonia lomariifolia is more tender and is usually only found in sheltered spots in the South and West. These shrubs are not fussy about soil and all are happiest in shade, partial or otherwise, and do best in a site sheltered from cold winds.
They are relatively slow-growing. Once planted, they need no further care, apart from the occasional removal of dead wood, although their habit is much improved by proper pruning. Their glossy leaves mean they are left alone by pests.
Varieties in the M. x media family are not very different from each other and quite widely available. All are well worth the garden space. Mahonia x media varieties are the first mahonias to flower, in autumn.
Mahonia x media ‘Arthur Menzies’ has larger leaflets than other M. x media hybrids. 8-10" racemes of long-lasting yellow flowers. Strong, upright vigorous growth.
Last listed in Plant Finder in 2003
Mahonia x media 'Buckland' AGM has the hardiness of Mahonia japonica and the flower power of Mahonia lomariifolia. Its arching racemes can reach 45cm (18in) long. The leaves are also 45cm (18in) in length, with up to 21 leaflets, and take on red tints in winter. In time, it makes a large, striking shrub, with pale yellow flowers.
21 suppliers in Plant Finder
Mahonia x media 'Charity' has canary-yellow flowers from October to March, with a delicate fragrance - a useful source of nectar and pollen for bees. The flowers are also terminal with abundant racemes displayed at an angle. This is a plant with architectural quality for the stems are stiffly erect, though spreading with age and reaching about 2m (6') in height. Each leaf has roughly 9 pairs of shiny, evergreen, opposite leaflets and are slightly angled from the stem. The flowers can shatter early.
52 suppliers in Plant Finder
Mahonia x media ‘Charity’s Sister’
Last listed in Plant Finder in 2005
Mahonia x media ‘Faith’ has soft yellow flowers
1 supplier in Plant Finder
Mahonia x media ‘Hope’ has soft, densely set, bright yellow flowers, less floriferous than others.
1 supplier in Plant Finder
Mahonia x media 'Lionel Fortescue' AGM is earlier to flower and equally desirable. Yellow flowers, long-lasting and reliable. Buds and blooms are frost-resistant. It won the Award of Merit in 1975 and Award of Garden Merit in 1984.
24 suppliers in Plant Finder
Mahonia x media ‘Underway’ AGM has a bushy habit, flowers early, but is less floriferous than others. It is a neat shrub with pale primrose flowers in tufts above its evergreen prickly leaves. It is child's play to grow, but perhaps not as well known as its relations, although it is slightly hardier.
6 suppliers in Plant Finder
Mahonia x media 'Winter Sun' AGM is another excellent garden hybrid with bright-yellow flowers in large, vertical clusters. It is a dense, upright, evergreen shrub with glossy, leathery, spiny, pinnate leaves and spineless stems. The densely packed racemes of fragrant yellow flowers are frost resistant and are produced from autumn to early winter.
41 suppliers in Plant Finder
Mahonia x media will take full sun but prefers to be in shade or a semi shaded area. It is best in a moist but relatively fertile, humus-rich soil, including chalk soils. It is frost hardy, and the scented flowers are frost resistant, but young growth may be damaged by late frosts.
The shrub does tend to get leggy but can be pruned. Large plants can be stooled to about 18" and will regenerate well, but it is best to prune over a 3 year period taking out about a third of growth each year. Pinching out the spent flowering shoots of smaller plants can encourage a more even habit.
Mahonia x media is generally pest and disease free.
Propagation is by leaf bud or semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or hardwood cuttings in autumn and winter. Seed can be sown outdoors in the autumn as soon as it is ripe, but as this is a hybrid, they will probably not come true. Another method is by the division of suckers in spring. Whilst they can be placed direct into their permanent positions, better results are achieved if they are potted up and placed in a frame until established.
Mahonia x media is also effective in a woodland setting, doing well under trees and in shade, and it will brighten up dim corners. The flowers are attractive to insects, and the berries are eaten by birds.
Unpruned, the cultivars generally reach a height of about 5 metres and a spread of 4 metres, with thick, woody, brown stems. In gardens, a more typical height and spread is 2 metres. The shiny leaves create a tiered appearance. The shrub is fully hardy.
Remove the top of the stem in May to encourage a bushy habit and cut back suckers and any dead wood at the same time. Wear thick gloves as this plant has sharp spikes on the leaves.
National Collection
Holder: Crown Estate Commissioners Savill & Valley Gardens
Address: Windsor Great Park , Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 2HT,
Website: www.savillgarden.co.uk
Jo Hanslip
January 2008
Images are at Photobucket:
Mahonia x media images
Don't forget that what you see are just thumbnails. Click on each image for a bigger picture, which will include the name, or you can run them as a slideshow.
Jo