PLANT OF THE MONTH

NOVEMBER 2021 — Mahonia

Common Name: Hybrid Mahonia ‘Charity’

Latin Name: Mahonia x media ‘Charity’

Family: Berberidaceae

Type: Evergreen

Origin: N. Ireland

Location at Bloedel Reserve: The Residence

Garden Uses: Hedge, Specimen, Focal Point

Fun Fact: This plant was first discovered in a batch of seedlings from Mahonia oiwakensis subsp. lomariifolia at a nursery in Northern Ireland in 1951. It received the name ‘Charity’ when it first bloomed in Savill Gardens, England and has been widely cultivated since. Hummingbirds love these flowers all winter and the fruit is quickly eaten by other birds once they are discovered.