Oregon grape ‘Lionel Fortescue’
Say the word ‘mahonia’ and most people will immediately think of the boring old stereotype M aquifolium, and who can blame them? That’s the one most commonly grown as ground cover in challenging municipal settings and it has few redeeming features.
However, my chosen plant today is a hybrid (produced by Lionel Fortescue at the Garden House in Buckland Monachorum, Devon) and it’s one of the best: a bold, upright, evergreen shrub with prickly glossy foliage arranged in rosettes which perfectly frame the showy racemes of highly scented, bright yellow flowers. Their fragrance is gorgeous and most likely you will catch it on the air before you notice the plant. ‘Lionel Fortescue’ usually flowers in November, so earlier than most of the others; it’s very hardy, tolerant of pretty much any soil type, and will happily grow in shade, part shade and even in sun.
Importantly, do not be put off by its potential height (it can attain 4m plus if left unpruned) because it’s very easy to keep in check – so don’t shy away from getting out the loppers after flowering. All this depends on your available space and the effect you want to create, but in most settings you don’t really want to be staring at its bare legs all summer long, and once pruned it will readily shoot and produce flowers later that year, and at a more accessible height. In some situations, unpruned, it will make a very effective and architectural focal point.
Having seen bumble bees feasting on the flowers a couple of days ago, and looking forward to watching the birds enjoying the blue-black berries that follow later in the winter, I am reminded that this mahonia really does tick most boxes.
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2 replies on “Mahonia x media ‘Lionel Fortescue’ AGM”
Winter Jasmine is very reliable and free flowering. Too common to mention?
“ Midwinter Fire” (can’t just think of its name) although not evergreen, the bright orange twigs have just come into their own.
Hello Glenys – yes winter jasmine is a joy at this time of the year! You’re right it has been a stalwart evergreen in our gardens for many years so it’s probably overlooked nowadays and considered old fashioned by Gen Z – but they’ll probably re-discover it soon and own it in the way they have with the Swiss cheese plants of our youth.
Love all those dogwoods too with their gorgeous shiny stems . Like you ‘Midwinter Fire’ is a firm favourite along with ‘Annie’s Winter Orange’ . Thanks for writing in – we love getting feedback on our plant choices, best wishes Laura