When to plant and prune Mahonia
Mahonia flowers from late October to early March and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Mahonia is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| South Coast and Channel | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| South East and Home Counties | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| East Anglia | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Wales and West Coast | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Northern England | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Northern Ireland | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early October to mid November | late October to early March | late March to late April |
Growing notes
Spires of fragrant yellow flowers from autumn through winter into spring, followed by blue-black berries, over bold spiny evergreen foliage. The winter and early spring flowers are an important early nectar source for pollinating insects. M. japonica reaches about 2m, M. x media up to 5m, and M. nitens 'Cabaret' about 1.5m. Grows best with some shade. The leaves are sharply spined, so keep it away from paths and seating.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 200 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 300 cm
- Eventual spread
- 250 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 50 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
Pruning: what to avoid
Tall mahonias become bare and leggy at the base if never pruned, so cut a proportion of the stems low after flowering. Do not prune in autumn or early winter - that removes the winter flowers, which are the whole point of the plant.
Pruning group
After flowering has finished, remove between one third and one half of the stems 30-60cm from ground level and reduce all other shoots by about a third
What usually goes wrong
- berberis sawfly
- rust and powdery mildew (mainly on M. aquifolium)
- wind scorch in exposed sites
- bare leggy stems if never pruned
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for mahonia.