The message
from Ian Wolfe contains these words:

In message
Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message
from "d.boddey" contains these words:

I have a winter flowering shrub called mahona (charity) can anyone
tell me
when they should be prunned ,and can they be cut back hard.
It is about 6ft tall now

They can be cut back hard, but you would lose this winter's flowers,
so I'd wait until late spring to do it. Mine is flowering now, nice
scent too.

Gosh. Is that normal time for the West Coast? I don't expect mine for
another month at least.

Dunno, Ian, it's all experimental for me! Our last garden (in
Stirlingshire) was cold and mahonia Charity didn't flower there until
spring. Before we moved here a year ago I knew sheltered parts of Arran
are even milder than the Ayrshire coast, but the past year has been
exceptional. Last winter was particularly short and mild, followed by an
unusually early warm spring and unusually warm dry summer (dry by west
Scotland standards). Wonderful conditions for establishing plants in a
new garden, but I've still not got a clear idea of what to expect
"normally". This garden hasn't had a frost yet this autumn. Some summer
stuff is still in full bloom (fuchsias, verbenas, hebes, argyranthemum,
roses, shrubby salvias), ceanothus and prostanthera are blooming for
the second time this year, and mahonia and hellebores seem to be well
ahead of themselves.

Janet.(Isle of Arran)