My mahonia is leggy. It is growing partly under an edible cherry. I pruned some parts recently and the woods was quite yellow. It is a bit brown and withered looking. What should I do?

Mahonia's must always be trimmed every year after flowering. Cut the long racemes off to encourage side shoots to grow. Mahonia loves shade, so I wouldn't suggest moving it. But after pruning it, you could feed with mulch and also even some general fertiliser to help it get back on it's feet. If it's an old plant, it may be worth replacing it, as it may not survive harsh pruning. Hope this helps?

Mahonias are pretty resilient and tolerate quite hard pruning. If it is getting leggy, you can cut it back hard to just above a leaf joint just as the flowers fade, feed well and keep well watered. Good luck

the wood has a naturally darker centre and the bark is quite a distinctive colour and texture. I have a Leonard fortiscue that gets some trimming back after flowering.

Oh, thanks Andrew, I didn't realise! :-)