Mahonia pinnata
11th April 2015
A low growing evergreen shrub that is found along almost the entire west coast of North America from British Columbia to Baja California.
My plant may well be a hybrid, the true species is said to be uncommon in cultivation (I don't know them well enough to comment).
14th February 2019
Although my plant is quite small I have had it for a long time. I bought it from Wisley in 1982 when the seductive charms of Mahonia had just started to cloud my judgement.
Even then I was aware that it wasn't the brightest star in the Mahonia firmament but for £2.65 it seemed like a bargain.
In developing the garden I inadvertantly built a shed in front of it and effectively forgot about it. In 2011 it was rescued and moved into the open and since then it has grown well.