Mahonia Charity

SN2008

Hi all. I have a shady, practicallly full shade, north facing part of the garden where I have a Camelia growing very well and a few ferns etc. I'm looking for a bit of scent however and heard Mahonia Charity is a good option. Has anybody had experience of growing these and if so, how scented are they? Was also thinking of adding Lilly of the Valley to the area too. 

pansyface

Yes, it will do well there as will the lily of the valley. I have them both in a spot that gets almost no sun and I am told that they are perfumed, though I have a poor sense of smell myself so can only go on what others say. 🙂

GardenerSuze

@SN2008 If you asked me to describe the scent of Mahonia Charity I would say Lily of the Valley.
It started to flower about now in my old garden, a grand specimen in full sun, hence slightly earlier flowering for the Midlands. Also happy in shade, it needs space to mature but it is the star of the early winter garden. If pruning is carried out every second or third year so that all the growth is not at the top of bare stems, removing up to a third at the base it will take up a relatively  small amount of space at ground level. Related to Berberis, which you can see when you cut inti the yellow stems ,itis is a beautiful Shrub, sharpe and spikey.  

SN2008

GardenerSuze said:

@SN2008 If you asked me to describe the scent of Mahonia Charity I would say Lily of the Valley.
It started to flower about now in my old garden, a grand specimen in full sun, hence slightly earlier flowering for the Midlands. Also happy in shade, it needs space to mature but it is the star of the early winter garden. If pruning is carried out every second or third year so that all the growth is not at the top of bare stems, removing up to a third at the base it will take up a relatively  small amount of space at ground level. Related to Berberis, which you can see when you cut inti the yellow stems ,itis is a beautiful Shrub, sharpe and spikey.  

Many thanks GardenerSuze. Think I'll go ahead and buy one. I was a bit concerned about the size they eventually grow to but if they can be pruned to a manageable size then brilliant. Looking forward to the scent!

GardenerSuze

@SN2008 They can be pruned to a managable size, my plant was about 8ft tall with me managing it. There were no gaps in the stems, all leaves due to pruning. A difficult shrub to prune and dispose of due to the spikes even with two pairs of garden gloves on.
Everyone picks up scent in a different way, I had to be right next to it to smell it.
Not a scent that is on the air.

Two other Mahonia's you could also consider are M Cabaret and M Apollo do any forum members grow either of these?  It would seem they are smaller but may not be as good?

Loxley

Mahonia "Soft Caress" is a smaller one, and not thorny or angular as "Charity". It has soft finely divided leaves. It's gorgeous 🥰

Busy-Lizzie

Thank you @Loxley, Soft Caress looks lovely and I have just the place in my new shady bed. I really don't care for Charity. The only prickly plants I like are roses.