Q: Is it too late to do a hard pruning on mahonias?

A: I have mixed feelings about mahonia. The fragrant yellow flowers look great in late winter and wildlife eagerly consume the blue berries that follow. However, I don’t like controlling the wickedly spined shrubbery that sprouts in unwanted places in my woodland garden. If you don’t mind missing the flowers, you can remove the tallest stems and shorten the longest branches now.