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Planting and caring for holly mahonia are not rich in any features, because the culture is undemanding to the place and growing conditions. An ornamental shrub originally from North America was named after the gardener B. McMahon, who first described the local species at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. Mahonia from the American continent received a second definition due to the similarity of leaves with holly. The Magonia genus, which belongs 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 holly mahonia, grows within 0,8-1,2 m. It rises higher on fertile soil in the southern regions. The crown of the bush is dense, it also grows luxuriantly – up to 1,2-1,5 m. The root system of mahonia is developed, the shoots penetrate deep into the soil to provide the branches and leathery leaves with the necessary amount of moisture and nutrients. In most varieties of holly mahonia, the trunk is erect, 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, consisting of 5-9 small leaf blades shining on top on short red petioles, approximately 2,5-3×8 cm in size, dense, leathery, beautiful elliptical shape. The edges are serrated, with medium-sized but sharp spines. The emerald green of the holly species persists even in winter if the bush grows in the shade. In autumn, especially in the sun, the color of the leaves changes from reddish to a shade of dark bronze. In the case of planting holly mahonia 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 Magonia Blooms
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, the beginning of June. Small buds of 6 petals are formed on the tops of the branches. Mahonia flowers, as seen in the photo, are 7-8 mm in size, collected in large panicles, which branch widely, creating lush yellow caps. Near the bush there is an original flower-honey aroma. After 1,5-2 months, small edible blue-violet berries ripen, they look just as picturesque, especially against the background of reddening leaves.
Species and varieties
The holly species of mahonia has several varieties:
- walnut, differs in more dense leaf blades;
- graceful, characterized by elongated, narrowish leaves;
- golden, with a light tint on the foliage;
- motley, with a heterogeneous shade of leaves.
Foreign gardeners have bred many varieties of holly mahonia, but most of them are designed for mild winters with small and short-term sub-zero temperatures:
- Autropurpura;
- Museri;
- Flame;
- Foreskate;
- Versicolor and others.
Apollo and Smaragd varieties are suitable for the conditions of central Our Country. Seedlings of these mahonia varieties in Siberia and the Urals also take root with proper care, primarily when sheltered for the winter during the first 5 years.
Magonia Apollo
Magonia Holly variety Apollo is a slow-growing shrub, by the age of 10 it rises by only 55-60 cm. It is distinguished by red bark on thorny shoots, which droop greatly as they grow. The Apollo bush is unpretentious to soils, but very moisture-loving, suffers from prolonged heat, and requires evening sprinkling in such conditions. Flowers are orange-yellow. An adult plant hibernates without shelter.
Magonia Smaragd
The Smaragd shrub has straight shoots. The height of the mahonia of the holly variety Smaragd is small, up to 70 cm. The sapling is low, only up to 30 cm. The leaves are of a bright emerald color, in winter and spring a shade of copper. Prefers moist, loose and fertile soils. The bush after freezing of individual branches is quickly restored.
How can I propagate holly mahonia
An unpretentious shrub reproduces in different ways:
- layering;
- undergrowth;
- cuttings;
- seeds.
Propagation by cuttings of holly mahonia
Magonia cuttings 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 kidney at the top and bottom;
- the lower kidney is located 2-3 cm from the cut;
- at the top, the shoot is cut off evenly, and the lower edge is oblique.
Magonia cuttings are treated with any growth stimulator, referring to the instructions. For the substrate, peat is prepared half with sand. From above, a container with planted mahonia cuttings is covered with a film. 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 mahonia branches that were used for New Year’s decor. Only they are put one at a time in a vase, changing the water.
Propagation by seeds of holly mahonia
This method is labor-intensive and time-consuming: mahonia bushes grown from seeds will bloom in 5 years. Seeds are collected from berries. It is better to sow them immediately in 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 into 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 sprouts are expected.
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 the bush
The method of dividing the roots is the easiest, because a well-established bush older than 9 years has a new growth every year. Lack of processes – weak, undeveloped roots. Therefore, separating the shoot from the central root, it is necessary to apply a growth stimulator.
Rules for reproduction by layering
A new mahonia plant begins to form in the spring:
- choose the lower healthy branch;
- carefully scrape off the bark in 2-3 places, which contributes to root formation;
- the shoot of mahonia is laid 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. In July-August, sprouts appear. They are separated from the mahonia mother bush the next year or after a season.
Planting and caring for mahonia in the open field
For the garden, only frost-resistant varieties of the holly species of mahonia are purchased.
When can you plant mahonia: in spring or autumn
A holly-leaved species in the middle lane is planted in the spring. In the south, it is better to plant in the fall, until mid-November. Spring planting can be complicated by a dry and hot spring, when the evergreen young shrub does not have enough moisture. Magonia is often purchased in nurseries in containers, from which the shrub is also moved in the summer. But in this case, the plant is planted in the shade.
Site selection and preparation of soil
Judging by the photo and description of the shrub, the 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 is distributed on the “lower floor” of the deciduous forest. The soil in such an environment is light, loose, rich in rotted leaves. The fertile composition of slightly acidic sandy loams or loams will contribute to the development of holly mahonia. The shrub does not tolerate stagnant water and alkaline soils. The site, or at least the landing pit, must be well drained, and the gathering mass of water should be drained after rains or snow melt.
How to plant mahonia
When creating a hedge of magonia, the holes are marked with an interval of 90 cm. And in compositions with holly magonia, according to the description and photo, they retreat from other crops up to 1,5-2 m. To enrich the substrate, they dig a hole some time before planting. The size should be sufficient to add 1 part manure humus and 2 parts 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 on the same level as the garden soil. Having filled the recess, the soil is compacted, watered, and then mulched around the perimeter of the entire trunk circle.
Magonia care after planting
Planting a holly species in the right place and following the recommendations is already half the success in growing an ornamental shrub. Take care of mahonia, like most other garden 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 mandatory watering of the seedling. A young bush in the first summer is watered after 3-4 days, if there is no precipitation. According to its characteristics, the holly 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 holly mahonia to moisten the soil to the roots. With prolonged drought, evergreen leaves are washed every evening or 2-3 times a week by sprinkling using a hose with a diffuser. It is especially recommended to carry out such irrigation in the southern regions.
Additional fertilizing
In the presence of organic matter, the bush is mulched with humus in the fall, while simultaneously giving it food. In the spring, any complex mineral fertilizer NPK is applied under the holly mahonia, where there is enough nitrogen for growth, and potassium for the formation of buds. On the perimeter of the near-stem 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 magnesia, superphosphate and other means.
Mulching
Holly-leaved seedlings are mulched in the first season. The procedure helps:
- retain moisture in the soil;
- prevents the germination of weeds;
- overheating, replenishes the reserves of nutrients in the soil.
For mulch, dry leaves, sawdust, peat, chopped bark, dry or freshly cut grass without seeds are taken. The old layer of mulch is not thrown away, a new one is put on it.
Pruning Holly Magonia
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 off to stimulate branching, leaving 10-20 cm from the root;
- next spring, the grown shoots are shortened by half;
- mahonia is sheared when the flowers wither;
- the old bush is rejuvenated by strong pruning, leaving 30-40 cm of branches.
Consider 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.
Transplantation of Holly Magonia
If it is determined that the bush is planted in an unsuitable place, the plant is moved. The holly-leaved 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.
Magonia is resistant, if necessary, the bush is moved throughout the warm season, but provide abundant watering. Feed a month after the transfer. The rules for transplanting, preparing the pit and the substrate are identical to the initial placement of the shrub on the site:
- before transplanting, for several hours, a plant of a holly species is abundantly watered around the perimeter of the near-stem circle to form a natural earthen clod;
- dig around from all sides;
- then the bush is not pulled out, but an earthen ball is hooked on both sides with shovels and placed on the prepared burlap.
The roots practically do not suffer under such transfer conditions. The plant will bloom and develop in a more comfortable place.
Diseases and pests
Decorative culture suffers little from various fungal diseases. But when placed in the garden next to plants where pathogens parasitize, the leaves of the holly mahonia shrub, as in the photo, are also infected. Possible diseases:
- phyllosthicosis – brown spots appear on the leaves, which expand over time, infect 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 sheets;
- mučnistaâ rosa characterized by a white bloom that covers the leaves with a continuous veil;
- rust manifested by rounded reddish dots on the leaves, which spread, capturing a large area.
With all infections, mahonia leaves wither, crumble, flowering is poor. If spotting is not responded to by spraying, the shrub may die completely.
As a treatment for mahonia, treatment with copper preparations or modern fungicides is used:
- Bordeaux liquid;
- copper oxychloride;
- Oksikhom;
- Cineb;
- Abiga Peak;
- Phthalan;
- Topsin-M and others.
Preventive work is welcomed:
- 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 summer;
- carry out the mandatory 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 Magonia for Winter
The shrub, even in a stable varietal form, has retained its genetic characteristics. North American winters, where various modern varieties of holly mahonia 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 crops, and not just those of southern origin. Therefore, in the first 4-5 years, young bushes are covered in late autumn, after the established sub-zero 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 spent on the bush, then the trunk circle is mulched. As the bottom layer, you can put a nutritious mulch – 4-5-month-old manure, half-rotted. Peat, dry leaves are placed on top. The shrub is covered with spruce branches or mats knitted from natural material.
Adult bushes only mulch. And at the end of winter, when the bright sun appears, the 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 are similar to the agricultural practices 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 a delicate aroma.