Unusual & Old Fashioned Fruit Trees |
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Mahonia - Oregon Grape. This family covers over 70 different species of evergreen shrubs that have prickly leaves a little like holly except that they are strung out down stems like the fronds of a fern. The height of Mahonias vary from a couple of feet up to enormous 15 foot prehistoric looking types. Many species originate from Asia, and others were brought over from America by Bernard McMahon around 1800, after whom they were named.
Aquifolium was first imported from America in 1823 and gained such feverish interest that specimens sold for crazy prices of up to £10 each, which was a Kings Ransom in those days, bearing in mind that a gold sovereign was only worth £1. (Todays price for a sovereign is way over £100 each.) Nowadays this variety has been planted in so many gardens for so long that birds have carried away and distributed so much seed in the past that in many parts of the country the plants have naturalised themselves in woodlands to such an extent they are a nuisance. Surprisingly enough a lot of different varieties of Mahonia are not very hardy and apart from Aquifolium many are also fussy about their growing conditions.
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