Tough shrubs with dark fruit good for jams

GOOD CHOICE: A mahonia is an excellent shrub for most gardens.

There aren't many shrubs that can claim their flowers smell of lily of the valley and that their berries can be made into jam '“ but mahonias can, even if few people know it. The shrubs, named after Irish nurseryman Bernard McMahon, smell great and, if you don't mind a bit of bitterness, their dark fruits can be made into a preserve.

These mainly upright, bushy and evergreen shrubs in most cases offer year-round interest and grow just about anywhere. They’re also pretty tough. Even in hard winters the majority of mahonias can withstand the ice.

Mahonia Japonica and M ‘Charity’ are two of the most popular. The former usually grows to no more than six or seven feet tall and a bit more in width, although if it’s allowed to go unchecked, the latter will eventually grow 15ft tall and 12ft wide.

From late autumn to the following spring it has long, fragrant spikes of yellow flowers. For the rest of the year it’s clothed in toothed, dark-green leaves.

Mahonias like a well-drained, rich soil and a bit of shade, and are best left unpruned but there are times when it  can’t be avoided. All pruning is best done  in late summer, removing dead and damaged branches and foliage, and cutting to shape.