M. bealei is one of the first plants I purchased when I began to garden. I remembered it's huge clusters of beautiful, purplish fruit from one of my grandparent's yards as a small child. And the somewhat-fragrant, yellow flowers that precede them are a welcome sight in late winter, especially to the honey bees on a warm day.

I haven't found it to be the least bit "invasive", although it does re-seed occasionally. The biggest problem? The #@!&* spines on the leaves, which don't disappear once they drop. Be careful when cleaning up around this mahonia, and wear leather gloves, otherwise it can be painful.

Otherwise - kept pruned and bushy - it's a GREAT addition to the garden.

Enjoy!

It's definitely a contender to worry about. I first heard about raised flags regarding Mahonia a long time ago in SC and have since been made aware of invasive behavior here in Alabama.

The good thing about Mahonia bealii is that it is not likely to become a major problem unless the conditions are just right. Unfortunately, when birds help distribute the berries into forested areas....that's when trouble begins.

Here is a link that might be useful: Invasive species in Alabama

The Ag Extension, etc. offices and magazines can't make up their mind to call this the plant of the month or horrible invasive. I guess I'll take it back. It's a really difficult spot for a shrub plus my other requirements; I'll be hard pressed to find an alternate.

If your site is a good one for this plant, maybe you can simply clip off the berries before they mature. To my eyes, this plant is most interesting because of its form and leaf texture and pretty fall/winter foliage color. It can be a standout because it is so unique. With just one specimen, you could be responsible about it yet still enjoy it.

I'm curious....what makes this spot 'difficult'?

I returned it. The nursery was very pleasant and said they were thinking of not carrying it anymore despite it's popularity because it did seem to be getting invasive. (Which I appreciate in a nursery.)

The spot is difficult because it's on the north side of the house on a slope. So it gets full sun in the summer but deep shade from fall to spring. It's also mostly a dry spot since it is protected from the worst of storms and the water runs off fairly quickly.

It WAS a spot that got a little soggy after a big rain (or a lot of it) but I think and hope I have corrected the drainage and erosion issues upslope. Planting this bed and mulching deeply should help slow down the water running off a little.

Since I had already decided to baby a Japanese maple in that bed as the showpiece (a Tamukeyama), I replaced the mahonia with another maple (a Red Dragon). Both cultivars are supposed to be able to take more sun than most. And they should compliment each other with similar but different leaves and colors. One spreads and is taller, the other mounds and weeps and is shorter.

I don't baby many plants... but I think Japanese maples are worth the extra effort.

Okay, I have about a thousand more plants to get in the ground and I've asked a hundred questions here on this landscaping project so I promise in-progress pictures soon.

i might be too late to the discussion but that spot sounds identical to the front of my neighbor's house, as does mine.
all of the houses on our street run east and west with the fronts facing due north. in summer, the sun travels across the entire front and the winter sun is behind the houses, resulting in no sun along the front path. she had a row of aucuba japonica there and it looked very good so that plant can take more sun than advertised.
acuba japonica 'picturata', with its gold-center heart surrounded by green, is one of the most beautiful cultivars i have seen (in pictures). with male pollinators, you also get the pretty red fruits.

I have several leatherleaf mahonias around our back terrace right outside our breakfast room windows and I love them. Yes, they do resead and I've heard that they're invasive, but I have not had a problem with them. The yellow flowers are delightful in late winter and almost glow in the evening light. Also, the birds LOVE the berries (which could have something to do with the invasiveness issue).

Thanks so much for the link to invasive species in Alabama. I even found some photographs of snakes of the area, with good detail for identification. We've had several appear in our garden, and they ran from me, but I did not intend to harm them. However, it is a good idea to know what is showing up for dinner where we do have 5 kinds of poisonous snakes.

Poo! Poo! Poo! and Double Poo! _Mahonia bealii_ is a truly lovely plant and is about as invasive as molasses in January. I agree that it will reseed, but not in an environmentally destructive way. I like all of this plant's attributes including the occasional offspring it produces.

Jay, do you travel from forum to forum poo-pooing comments and warnings about well-known invasive plant species? I'd like to suggest that you contact the SC Forestry Commission or DNR to see if you can volunteer at one of their next forest 'clean-up' days.