Plant of the Month-January 2010

From In the Garden

I can't tell you how much I was stressing that I could not come up with a Plant of the Month for January in my garden. Even though I pride myself on having something in bloom during all months of the year, I don't always have something in bloom all days of the year. Thank goodness I found a couple of blooming plants this month. The two outside blooming plants are-Mahonia beaulei, aka Leatherleaf Mahonia, and Vernal Witch Hazel, aka Hamamelis vernalis. I will highlight some inside blooming plants next Wednesday on Bloom Day. I chose the mahonia as this month's Plant of the Month simply because it makes a big statement, blooms a long time, is fragrant and is something different from the usual witch hazel that has been my choice for January's Plant of the Month for the past two years.

From In the Garden

This particular plant has been growing in a woodland area of my property way behind Mr. Fix-it's garage. It was given to me by a fellow gardener from his woodland garden and has been growing here for nearly one year. The plant itself is not but about two feet tall, but those blooms pack a huge punch, especially in January. Not to mention the blooms are fragrant. I was most tempted to cut the blooms and bring them inside to enjoy but that would mean sacrificing the lovely grape like seedpods that will form later on this season. I have another mahonia growing in a front garden that has been growing there for more than three years. It started life as a small seedling and has not yet reached the stage where it will bloom. I am hopeful it will bloom next year because it is nearly as big as the blooming one now.

These shrubs are evergreen and provide year round interest in a shaded area. Mahonias are also extensively used in commercial landscaping. Our very own Army hospital here on Fort Campbell has quite a lovely stand of them that are about six feet tall (leatherleaf mahonias can grow to 12 feet tall-slowly so far as I can tell from my garden experience) and bloom wonderfully each year. These mahonias are pruned and are growing in an inhospitable location next to a concrete retaining wall. I admire them each time I visit the hospital and am happy to finally have a few of my own establishing in my garden here. I also recently noticed a newly planted stand of blooming mahonias outside of Town Center near Gate 5 on Fort Campbell. I surmise the Fort Campbell landscape contractors love this shrub. And no wonder because the welcomed blooms are quite a sight this time of year!

Leatherleaf mahonias are not native to the United States (they come from China) but they have naturalized in Zones 6-10 pretty well. You will find them growing all throughout the wooded areas of Tennessee thanks to wild animals enjoying the grape like seeds that make a wonderful food source for many. There are some in the horticultural field who do not like the self sowing ability of the mahonia, but I am not one of them. If a plant can feed the wildlife, look good, be maintenance free and not smother other plants and wreak havoc on the ecosystem then it is a good plant in my book. I like the mahonia.

This shrub is a narrow grower and quite prickly just like a holly so plant it in an out of the way area where it can grow in a natural manner. The area mahonias prefer to grow in is a shaded, organically rich soil that is well drained but moist, though they are adaptable to dry inhospitable areas. I am thrilled to have anything blooming this month and I can tell you the bloom on this mahonia has been around for more than two weeks and should last another two weeks. It is a good plant to have blooming in January....

in the garden....

What's your Plant of the Month for January?