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Planting and caring for holly mahonia is not rich in any features, because the culture is undemanding to the place and growing conditions. An ornamental shrub native to North America was named after the gardener B. McMahon, who first described the local species at the beginning of the 19th century. Mahonia from the American continent received a second definition due to the similarity of leaves with holly. The genus Magonia, belonging to the Barberry family, has other species that grow in their natural range in the central and eastern regions of Asia.
Description of holly magonia
The evergreen shrub, known by the Latin name mahonia aquifolium, or mahonia aquifolium, grows within 0.8-1.2 m. On fertile soil in the southern regions it rises higher. The crown of the bush is dense, it also grows magnificently - up to 1.2-1.5 m. The root system of Mahonia is developed, the shoots penetrate deep into the soil to provide branches and leathery leaves with the necessary amount of moisture and nutrients. Most varieties of holly Mahonia have an erect trunk, without thorns. The shade of gray bark of the shoots changes color as it develops. Young trunks of Mahonia are pinkish, old ones acquire a brown tone, especially in winter, standing out against the background of green foliage.
The leaves of the holly shrub are pinnately compound, up to 20 cm long, consist of 5-9 small leaf blades shining from above on short red petioles, approximately 2.5-3x8 cm in size, dense, leathery, beautiful elliptical shape. The edges are serrated, with medium-sized but sharp spines. Holly emerald greens are preserved in winter if the bush grows in the shade. In autumn, especially in the sun, the color of the leaves changes from reddish to dark bronze. In the case of planting Mahonia holly in an open and sunny place, shading is included in the care at the end of winter and in spring so that the leaves do not burn under direct rays. In the sun, the leaves also suffer in the summer, in the southern regions, brown spots appear on them.
How holly mahonia blooms
An ornamental evergreen shrub blooms in different regions from mid-April or May. The bright, long flowering of Mahonia is admired until the end of May, beginning of June. Small buds of 6 petals form at the tops of the branches. Mahonia flowers, as seen in the photo, measuring 7-8 mm, are collected in large panicles, which branch widely, creating lush yellow caps. An original floral honey aroma is felt near the bush. After 1.5-2 months, small edible berries of a blue-violet color ripen, they look just as picturesque, especially against the background of reddening leaves.
Types and varieties
The holly species of Mahonia has several varieties:
- nut-leaved, differs in denser leaf blades;
- graceful, characterized by elongated, narrowish leaves;
- golden, with a light sheen on the foliage;
- variegated, with a variegated shade of leaves.
Foreign gardeners have bred many varieties of Mahonia holly, but most of them are designed for mild winters with small and short-term subzero temperatures:
- Autropurpurea;
- Moseri;
- Flame;
- Foreskate;
- Versicolor and others.
Apollo and Smaragd varieties are suitable for the conditions of central Russia. Saplings of these varieties of Mahonia in Siberia and the Urals also take root with proper care, first of all, with shelter for the winter during the first 5 years.
Magonia Apollo
Mahonia holly-leaved varieties Apollo is a slow-growing shrub, by the age of 10 it rises only 55-60 cm. It is distinguished by red bark on thorny shoots, which droop as they grow. The Apolo bush is unpretentious to the soil, but very moisture-loving, suffers from prolonged heat, requires nightly sprinkling in such conditions. The flowers are orange-yellow. An adult plant hibernates without shelter.
Magonia Smaragd
The Smaragd shrub has straight shoots. The height of the holly-leaved Mahonia variety Smaragd is small, up to 70 cm. The seedling is low, only up to 30 cm. The leaves are bright emerald color, in winter and spring, a shade of copper. Prefers moist, loose and fertile soils. The bush quickly recovers after freezing of individual branches.
How can holly mahonia be propagated?
An unpretentious shrub reproduces in different ways:
- layering;
- undergrowth;
- cuttings;
- seeds.
Propagation by cuttings of holly mahonia
Cuttings of Mahonia are carried out in the summer, from early June to August. Cut off the shoots of the current year, which have fully formed leaves:
- then the branches are divided into fragments so that each has a bud at the top and bottom;
- the lower kidney is 2-3 cm from the cut;
- at the top, the shoot is cut off exactly, and the bottom edge obliquely.
Mahonia cuttings are treated with any growth stimulant, referring to the instructions. For the substrate, prepare peat half with sand. A container with planted Mahonia cuttings is covered with a foil on top. For rooting, the substrate is kept moist, the film is opened once a day, the air temperature is not lower than 20 ° C. Roots are formed in 50-60 days. Seedlings are placed in individual containers, maintaining high humidity.
Gardeners suggest that roots can form after about the same time for those branches of Mahonia that were used for New Year's decor. Only they are put one by one in a vase, changing the water.
Propagation by seeds of holly mahonia
This method is laborious and time-consuming: Mahonia bushes grown from seeds will bloom in 5 years. The seeds are harvested from berries. It is better to sow them immediately into the prepared grooves, mark the area and cover with leaves. With this method, natural stratification will occur. If dry seeds are available, and it is too late to sow in the ground due to frost, they are placed in a prepared substrate in a container. The container is placed in the refrigerator for 60-100 days. In March, the container is removed, placed on a warm windowsill and awaited for shoots.
In May and early June, the sprouts are transplanted to a fenced area, where they will develop for a year or two.
How to propagate by dividing a bush
The root separation method is the easiest, because a well-established bush over 9 years old has a new growth every year. Lack of shoots - weak, undeveloped roots. Therefore, having separated the shoot from the central root, it is imperative to apply a growth stimulant.
Breeding rules by layering
A new plant of Mahonia begins to form in the spring:
- choose the lower healthy branch;
- carefully scrape off the bark in 2-3 places, which promotes root formation;
- the Mahonia shoot is placed in a groove prepared in advance with a depth of 8-11 cm and fixed with a garden bracket;
- the top is usually brought to the surface, and the groove is covered with soil.
The site is kept clean, constantly watered. Shoots appear in July-August. They are separated from the mother bush of Mahonia next year or every other season.
Planting and caring for Mahonia outdoors
For the garden, only frost-resistant varieties of the holly type of Mahonia are purchased.
When to plant Mahonia: in spring or autumn
The holly species in the middle lane is planted in the spring. In the south, it is better to plant in the fall, before mid-November. Spring planting can be difficult in dry and hot springs when the evergreen young shrub does not have enough moisture. Often, Mahonia is purchased in nurseries in containers, from which the shrubs are moved in the summer. But in this case, the plant is planted in the shade.
Site selection and soil preparation
Judging by the photo and description of the shrub, holly mahonia is planted in the sun. In the southern regions, most often in semi-shady places, where there is openwork protection from direct sunlight at noon. Such an exposition corresponds to the natural growth conditions of the species, which spreads on the “lower floor” of the deciduous forest. The soil in such an ecological environment is light, loose, rich in decayed leaves. The fertile composition of weakly acid sandy loam or loam will contribute to the development of holly mahonia. The shrub does not tolerate stagnant water and alkaline soils. The site, or at least the planting hole, must be well drained, the collecting mass of water must be removed after rains or melting snow.
How to plant Mahonia correctly
Creating a hedge from Mahonia, holes are planned at intervals of 90 cm. And in compositions with Mahonia holly, according to the description and photo, they retreat from other crops to 1.5-2 m.To enrich the substrate, a hole is dug some time before planting. The size should be sufficient to add 1 part of humus from manure and 2 parts of rotted leaf litter to the soil - 60 cm deep and in diameter. The substrate is mixed with 5-7 g of any complex fertilizer such as nitrophoska per 1 liter of soil. On heavy soils, a drainage layer of up to 10-15 cm is arranged at the bottom. When planting, the shrub is placed so that the root collar is flush with the garden soil. Having filled up the depression, the soil is compacted, watered, and then mulched around the perimeter of the entire trunk circle.
Caring for Mahonia after planting
Planting an holly species in the right place and following the recommendations is already half the success in growing an ornamental shrub. They take care of Mahonia, like most other horticultural crops. The trunk circle without mulch is regularly loosened a day after watering, weeds are removed near the seedling. Under an old, densely branched bush, as a rule, no grass breaks through.
Watering
The care of Mahonia in the open field includes the obligatory watering of the seedling. In the first summer, a young bush is watered in 3-4 days if there is no precipitation. According to its characteristics, the holly-leaved species is drought-resistant, an adult plant can withstand without watering for 14-15 days. For 1 time, 15-20 liters of water are used per bush of Mahonia holly, so that the soil is moistened to the roots. In case of prolonged drought, evergreen leaves are washed every night or 2-3 times a week by sprinkling using a hose with a diffuser. It is especially recommended to carry out such watering in the southern regions.
Top dressing
In the presence of organic matter, the bush is mulched with humus in the fall, while giving it food. In the spring, under the holly mahonia, any complex mineral fertilizer NPK is applied, where there is enough nitrogen for growth, and potassium for the formation of buds. On the perimeter of the trunk circle, which for a seedling is approximately 1 sq.m, scatter 100 g of granules or dissolve in water, guided by the instructions. Since mid-September, holly mahonia is fed with potassium-phosphorus preparations, using potassium monophosphate, potassium magnesium, superphosphate and other means.
Mulching
Holly seedlings are mulched in the first season. The procedure helps:
- retain moisture in the soil;
- prevents weeds from germinating;
- overcooking, replenishes nutrients in the soil.
For mulch, take dry leaves, sawdust, peat, chopped bark, dry or just cut grass without seeds. The old layer of mulch is not thrown away, a new one is put on it.
Pruning Holly Mahonia
Sanitary cleaning is carried out every autumn and spring, removing:
- damaged branches;
- shoots that grow inside the crown;
- thin and weak processes that extend from the bottom of the trunk.
A dense crown and lush flowering are formed by pruning:
- in the first season after planting, the tops of the shoots are cut to stimulate branching, leaving 10-20 cm from the root;
- the next spring, the grown shoots are shortened by half;
- Mahonia is sheared when the flowers fade;
- the old bush is rejuvenated by strong pruning, leaving 30-40 cm of branches.
It is taken into account that the holly species blooms on last year's branches. In an adult bush, only part of the shoots is sheared, allowing others to bloom and please with spectacular flowering.
Holly Mahonia transplant
If it is determined that the bush is planted in the wrong place, the plant is moved. The holly species tolerates transplantation well not only at a young age. The time of transfer of the shrub is chosen in accordance with the weather of the region, avoiding too late autumn planting:
- in the southern regions from mid-September to early November;
- in the middle climatic zone - in April, until the end of May.
Mahonia is persistent, if necessary, the bush is moved throughout the warm season, but abundant watering is provided. They are fed a month after the transfer. The transplantation rules, preparation of the pit and the substrate are identical to the initial placement of the shrub on the site:
- before transplanting, in a few hours, a holly plant is watered abundantly around the perimeter of the trunk circle to form a natural earthen lump;
- dig in from all sides;
- then they do not pull out the bush, but pry an earthen lump on both sides with shovels and put it on the prepared burlap.
Under such transfer conditions, the roots practically do not suffer. The plant will bloom and develop in a more comfortable place.
Diseases and pests
Ornamental culture suffers little from various fungal diseases. But when placed in the garden next to plants where pathogens parasitize, the leaves of the Mahonia holly shrub, as in the photo, also become infected. Possible diseases:
- phylosticosis - brown spots appear on the leaves, which expand over time, infecting the entire bush and neighboring plants;
- stagonosporosis - which is determined by the appearance of oval spots with a dark edge along the edges of the leaves;
- powdery mildew characterized by a white bloom that covers the leaves with a continuous veil;
- rust manifests itself as rounded reddish dots on the leaves, which spread to cover a large area.
With all infections, the leaves of Mahonia wither, crumble, flowering is poor. If they do not respond to spraying by spraying, the shrub may completely die.
As a treatment for Mahonia, treatment with copper preparations or modern fungicides is used:
- Bordeaux liquid;
- copper oxychloride;
- Oxyhom;
- Tsineb;
- Abiga Peak;
- Phthalan;
- Topsin-M and others.
Preventive work is encouraged:
- avoid thickening in the garden;
- remove weeds;
- crops are systematically sprayed, which often suffer from fungal diseases;
- leaves are collected and burned in autumn, if diseases were noticed in the summer;
- carry out the obligatory spring treatment of the garden with fungicides or the usual preparations containing copper.
Gardeners who grow holly Mahonia note that pests that annoy other plants are practically not found on the shrub.
Preparing Holly Mahonia for Winter
The shrub, even in a persistent varietal form, has retained its genetic characteristics. North American winters, where various modern varieties of holly magonia come from, are much milder than in the continental temperate climate of the middle zone of our country. In addition, sometimes there is frost without snow cover, which negatively affects all cultures, not only of southern origin. Therefore, in the first 4-5 years, young bushes are covered in late autumn, after the established subzero temperature.
Preparation for the cold season for Mahonia begins with water charging irrigation, which is carried out at the end of September or October, according to the region. 30-40 liters of water are consumed per bush, then the trunk circle is mulched. As the bottom layer, you can put nutritious mulch - 4-5-month-old manure, half rotted. Peat and dry leaves are placed on top. The shrub is covered with spruce branches or mats tied from natural material.
Mature bushes only mulch. And at the end of winter, when the bright sun appears, holly mahonia, as mentioned in the video, is covered with shading material. Mesh or agrotextile will keep Mahonia leaves from burning out.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for holly Mahonia is similar to the agricultural technique of other ornamental shrubs. Planted in a cozy place, protected from harsh northern winds, on fertile and loose soil, the plant will delight from year to year with bright flowering and delicate aroma.
