They are mostly very easy to grow. Work plenty of compost into the soil or leaf mould if you can get it (many types are woodlanders or semi-woodland in origin) as they like organically rich soils. They can take full sun well though not on a very dry site. Moisture retentive yet free draining they should be fine.

If you want a branched "bushy" type, then choose M. aquifolium or one of it's named clones such as 'Apollo'. The other type produce long upright stems that don't branch very much but have attractive long pinnate foliage such as M. japonica, M. x media and M. bealii. One of the best for beautiful foliage and flowers is called 'Winter Sun'.

Mahonia 'Charity' is reckoned to be one of the best. It is an upright grower and if it starts to get leggy, you can chop it off just above a leaf joint as the flowers fade