Do you remember the Mahoni, which was most likely in the garden your grandmother? Today, this neglected shrub returns to the limelight, but many cannot decide whether it is rather a healing plant or dangerous. The truth is, as usual, somewhere in the middle.
Putting on the garden Mahoni is just a good idea if you watch out for children or non -lethal pets. It will grow calmly in the corner of the garden, which will beautify both beautiful stiff and shiny (albeit prickly) leaves, yellow or orange flowers and later also purple berries. In addition, bees that their nectar just love.
You can also find out more about Mahonia in youtub video from Milena Netililová:
Source: YouTube
Not only the Christmas ornament
Where have you just seen these sheets? Certainly on one of the Advent wreaths and for other Christmas decorations. Especially in Anglo -Saxon culture it is an iconic plant for this season, but its popularity is no less in our regions, although it has seen a little retreat from the mainstream of the Gardeners’ interest in recent decades. This time seems to be gone again.
Will take care of himself
The great advantage of growing Mahonia is its independence. As a plant from North America, she had to get used to not very ideal conditions in her homeland and overcome obstacles. She succeeded in great and brought this feature to Europe. So we can say calmly that if you offer Mahony at least basic care, the rest will take care of itself. What conditions does it need? It can withstand the sun and the shady nooks of the garden, survive without major problems, but does not cause problems even temporarily higher doses of water and, moreover, is not susceptible to diseases. Could the gardener want anything more?
For a little privacy and wine
Why still grow mahónii? If you do not want the neighbors to watch the events in your garden, you can plant this plant (also known as the Czech) as a hedge. It will grow relatively quickly and soon your land will separate from the outside world. But even that is still not all. Its fruits are edible with a little caution – and not only that, even healing. The berries have a pleasant bitter taste and are perfect for compotes, jams, syrups, or even home wine, combined with other fruit.
Berberin is a little miracle
Mahónie fruits also belong to the home pharmacy, mainly due to the high content of berberin, ie alkaloid, whose positive is anti -inflammatory, antibacterial, and even antifungal effect. They can be relied on when you need to strengthen immunity or digestive problems.
Medicinal or poisonous?
What about the bush toxicity? It contains a large number of alkaloids to discourage insects from their consumption and thus weakening the entire shrub in possible infection with infectious diseases. It may therefore happen that more sensitive people will respond only to gentle scratches with sharp processes of the leaves and raw berries should not consume. But after boiling nothing happens. Likewise, it is necessary to wait for the fruits of Mahonia really ripe, in which case the content of potentially risk substances decreases rapidly.
Where do you place Mahony in your garden? Will it be a hedge, a solitaire near the relaxation zone, or will it fill in a shady corners where another shrub wouldn’t even dare to “enter”?
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