That mahonia is beautiful. I tried to look up mahonia and found that there are all kinds. Which kind is that? The ones I looked up like acidic soil so I couldn't have them here (drats). But maybe I could have the kind that you have---if I could figure out a way to give it shade. I have an area on the west side of the house that gets morning shade but then it gets afternoon sun and the heat reflecting from the afternoon sun from the brick house.
I don't have a particular area that I want to put evergreens in. I'd like to sprinkle small ones (prefer columnar ones) throughout the gardens for winter interest. In general, my gardens are alkaline, full sun, and small. I only have one-fifth of an acre here so I like shrubs that grow taller than they are wide. Once you subtract for my house, detached garage, and walkways, the gardening areas are rather small.
The boxwood that I have is supposed to have a mature size of about 2 feet wide and about 8 feet tall. They were planted in 2007 and right now they are about 5 feet tall and 14 inches wide (I just measured). I know they like a bit of shade but they're doing well in full sun. Even though they don't have any protection from winter winds, they get very little burn.
