A large, stately, upright shrub that is often used in difficult locations as it’s pretty tough. It’s also a prickly customer, so popular as a perimeter shrub for security purposes. It prefers a slightly shaded position, preferably provided by trees or other large shrubs. 

Its dark green, leathery leaves are 50-60cm long, bearing two ranks of long, spiny leaflets that tend to droop downwards. Bursting upwards from the top branches in autumn and early winter are racemes of slightly fragrant, deep yellow flowers. A cheery sight during short daylight hours, it also provides food for any insects out and about on mild, sunny days.

Mahonia can be left unpruned, but sometimes become leggy with bare lower stems. When this happens, prune out the leggy branches after flowering or be brave and hard prune the whole shrub. It’s tough enough to take it.