Something Yellow and Prickly In The Car Park

A Mahonia growing in the ornamental hedge area in the car park at work. Mahonia is a genus of 70 species of evergreen shrubs found in woodlands and rocky areas in the Himalayas, East Asia and Central and North America. Mahonia x media "Charity" and "Winter Sun" are very common varieties. The flowers are yellow, scented, frost resistent and resemble Lily Of The Valley. Mahonias bloom in the depths of Winter at a time when most other plants are dormant. Apparently the fruits are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked. However they don't have a lot of flesh in them and contain a lot of seeds! Nevertheless it is always good to see something in flower when many other plants are becoming dormant.