Winter-flowering Winter-flowering

who noticed that three of the young plants showed some seedling variation and
appeared to be intermediate between M. lomariifolia and M. japonica or
M. bealei. These were planted out at Savill Gardens, and it was here, in 1957, that
they first flowered. It seems that although other people had tried to deliberately
cross M. japonica and M. lomariifolia, this happened accidentally at Slieve
Donard’s Nursery, and it is believed that M. japonica was the pollen parent.
The hybrids between Mahonia
lomariifolia and M. japonica bring
together the best attributes of both
parents, as can be seen here.
The best and probably most complete collection of Mahonia media material
remains somewhat intact at Savill Gardens and Windsor Great Park, England;
‘Rebecca’, ‘Roundwood’, and ‘Sarah’—all seedlings selected from ‘Charity’—are
still hiding in the collection. All seem to me to be similar to ‘Charity’ (‘Sarah’ has
an interesting, somewhat more compact habit); flowers are canary-yellow and
only slightly scented. None of the three are in commerce, and they really should
be fully evaluated, to see if they are improvements on their parents.
Mahonia
Mahonia media ‘Arthur Menzies’,
a distinct form that originated in the
USA.
Mahonia media ‘Arthur Menzies’, a spectacular form selected by the
Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, USA, in 1961, is sometimes listed as a
hybrid of M. lomariifolia and M. bealei. It was named for Arthur Menzies, the
supervisor of plant accessions at the Strybing Arboretum, California, in whose
garden the cross arose. In the UK it is a large evergreen, reaching over 3m (9ft)
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