Shrub
How to grow mahonia
Mahonia × media / M. aquifolium
Mahonia is a fully hardy evergreen for part or full shade, flowering yellow and scented from November to March when little else does. Plant between October and March in fertile soil that holds moisture, out of cold, drying wind. It does not like to dry out, so mulch every spring. The tall kinds go bare and leggy if left alone: shorten the flowered stems in March or April and they branch lower down.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Position
- Part to full shade
- Soil
- Fertile, moisture-retentive
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.0
- Water
- Moderate, dislikes drying out
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting mahonia
WhenPlant Oct to Mar; flowers Nov to Mar; prune after flowering if needed
Starting off
Plant pot-grown stock Oct to Mar, or bare-root M. aquifolium Nov to Mar for mass planting. Propagate M. aquifolium by digging rooted suckers in Mar or by semi-ripe leaf-bud cuttings in Oct to Nov; M. × media by 10 cm semi-ripe cuttings with a heel in Sep to Oct, rooted slowly at 15 to 18°C over the winter. Seed cleaned from the ripe summer berries and sown in autumn in a cold frame germinates in spring.
Spacing and planting
M. × media 'Charity' reaches 3 to 4 m by 2.5 m; M. aquifolium stays at 1 m by 1.5 m and suckers to form ground cover. Plant 'Charity' types 2 m apart and M. aquifolium 75 cm apart, in a hole twice the rootball width at pot depth. M. aquifolium and the compact M. eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' suit a 45 cm pot.
Varieties worth growing
- M. × media 'Charity'
- The best known tall mahonia: upright to 3 or 4 m with long yellow spikes from November to January.
- M. × media 'Winter Sun'
- More compact than 'Charity' with upright, well-scented flower spikes; the better choice where space is limited.
- M. japonica
- Spreading shrub to 2 m with drooping pale yellow sprays through late winter and the strongest scent, like lily of the valley.
- M. aquifolium 'Apollo'
- Low, dense form of Oregon grape, 60 cm to 1 m, with large golden clusters in spring; ground cover for dry shade once established.
- M. eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
- Narrow, spineless leaves and flowers in late summer and autumn on a 1 m plant; for pots and by paths, in a sheltered spot.
Mahonia month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
In flower. Plant in mild spells.
- February
M. japonica and late varieties in flower. Plant.
- March
Last planting. Prune tall kinds as the flowers finish. Light feed and a 5 cm mulch over moist soil.
- April
Finish pruning. Shear M. aquifolium to 30 cm if due. Renovate leggy plants. Cut off wind-scorched leaves.
- May
Water plants set out this year. Check for sawfly larvae.
- June
Blue-black berries ripen; leave them for the birds. Water in dry spells.
- July
Water deeply in drought, especially under trees.
- August
Keep watering young plants. 'Soft Caress' comes into flower.
- September
Semi-ripe cuttings of M. × media.
- October
Planting season opens. Cuttings.
- November
'Charity' and 'Winter Sun' start to flower. Plant. Sow seed saved from the summer berries in a cold frame.
- December
In flower. Nothing else to do.
Feeding mahonia
A light feeder that minds drought far more than hunger. A half-rate balanced feed under a moisture-holding mulch in March is the full programme for plants in the ground.
Low, a tough architectural evergreen; a light spring feed.
Feeding plan
Planting
5 g per litre of root ball on the roots: 15 g for a 3 litre pot, 25 g for a 5 litre pot.
March
50 g/m², half the label rate, once: about 150 g under a 'Charity' 2 m across (roughly 3 m²), 50 g for a metre-wide M. aquifolium.
March, straight after feeding
Garden compost
A 5 cm mulch of compost, leaf mould or composted bark over damp soil, out to the edge of the branches.
April, after hard renovation
Bring the year's dose up to the full 100 g/m² (a further 50 g/m² if you fed in March), then water weekly through the first summer.
Potting
5 g per litre of compost: 150 g for a 45 cm pot holding about 30 litres.
March and June, pots
2 g per litre on the surface, watered in: 60 g for a 45 cm pot each time.
Signs to watch
Reddish-purple leaves in winter on M. aquifolium are normal winter colour, not a deficiency; the same tints in summer with stunted growth → phosphorus or general starvation on poor, dry soil → bone meal and a compost mulch in Mar. Yellow leaves with green veins on thin chalk → lime-induced iron lock-out → sulphur chips and chelated iron. Older leaves yellowing between the veins → magnesium short →
Pests, diseases and problems
Orange-brown powdery pustules under the leaves with red or purple spots above
Mahonia rust, mostly on M. aquifolium
Pick off and bin affected leaves on small plants. On ground-cover plantings shear to 30 cm in April and clear the clippings; the regrowth is usually clean.
White powdery film on the leaves, which may turn purple and distort
Powdery mildew, encouraged by dry soil in shade under trees
Water deeply in dry spells, mulch in spring, and prune out the worst shoots after flowering.
Leaf edges and whole leaflets brown and crisp after winter
Scorch from cold, drying wind, or from strong sun on dry soil
Cut damaged leaves off in April. Plant in shelter, keep the root zone mulched and moist, and move young plants out of wind tunnels.
Leaves stripped to the midrib in summer by pale caterpillars with black spots
Berberis sawfly larvae, which also feed on some mahonias
Check plants from May and pick the larvae off by hand. A healthy shrub releafs, but repeated attacks weaken it.
Tall bare stems with a tuft of leaves and flowers out of reach at the top
Natural habit of M. × media when it is never pruned
After flowering cut one or two of the tallest stems back by half to a whorl of leaves each year, or all of them to 45 cm in April to renovate.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Flowers on the previous year's growth at the tips, so prune only after flowering in Mar to Apr: on tall M. × media shorten the flowered stems by up to half to a whorl of leaves to stop legginess and keep flowers at nose height. M. aquifolium is sheared to 30 cm every 2 to 3 years in Apr to renew it. Leggy old plants of either type take renovation to 45 cm in Apr. No staking or winter protection.
Good to knowScented winter flowers then berries; good for shade and wildlife.
Growing mahonia in pots
M. aquifolium and 'Soft Caress' suit a 45 cm pot; the tall M. × media types soon outgrow one. Use loam-based compost with some leaf mould or composted bark added to hold moisture, and stand the pot in shade out of the wind. Never let it dry out: water two or three times a week in summer and check it in dry winter spells as well. 'Soft Caress' is less hardy than the others, so move it against a house wall for winter. Top-dress each March and repot every 3 years.
Mahonia: common questions
When should I prune mahonia?
Prune in March or April, straight after flowering. On tall M. × media types shorten flowered stems by up to half, cutting just above a whorl of leaves, so that they branch and flower lower down. Low M. aquifolium can be sheared to 30 cm every 2 to 3 years.
Can mahonia grow in full shade?
Yes, mahonia is one of the best flowering evergreens for full shade, including a north-facing border and under deciduous trees. It needs soil that stays reasonably moist there. In deep, dry shade M. aquifolium copes best once it is established.
Is mahonia good for bees?
Yes, it is one of the most valuable winter shrubs for pollinators. The flowers supply nectar and pollen from November to March, and winter-active bumblebees work them on mild days. The berries that follow are taken by blackbirds and thrushes.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.
- How to grow mahoniaRHS
- How to grow mahoniasBBC Gardeners' World
- Shrubs: pruning evergreensRHS