Has it flowered before? Is it the same species? I have two different ones, and one has buds, and will flower soon, while the other is always later.

Ours took a year off last year but is flowering happily this year. As Spritz says it depends on the species.

Our's didn't flower last year but has just started flowering this year. It is Mahonia Charity. Maybe your's is just having a rest.

Hi, thanks for the replies. We've owned it for a few years and its always flowered before. My neighbour has the same plant and thats well in bloom. We repotted it earler this year. If it was dead, would all the leaves fall off. Theyre mostly purple at the mo with a few green on top. Thanks

The large mahonia with very spiky leaves usually flowers now but there is one with less spiky leaves that flowers in the Spring. Prune in May-July and the new shoots will come up in the summer and they will be the flowering shoots for winter/ spring. Give them a feed in the Summer. Perhaps it's too dry where you have it.

Doesn't sound like its dead, if it has green growth at the top. Is it possible you didn't keep it as well watered as it needed during the last couple of months? That would interfere with flower formation, if the plant was too dry.

is it pot bound my mahonia 'charity' is so large--almost as tall as me( and much wider lol) and as Bamboo says it would need food and water. But saying that mine doesn't usually flower until a bitlater with the 'aquifolium' not until spring

I would think that repotting has possibly stressed the plant... is there no way you can put into the actual garden? Easier for you and your Mahonia will be happier :-)

The mahonia still hasnt flowered and most of the leaves are a purple-ish colour except for the top few........ Any ideas?

Did the pot your mahonia is in freeze for any length of time? If so the shrub will not have been able to take up any water and has become stressed, this means it will not flower and needs careful attention. If it is at all possible I strongly recommend that you plant in the ground later in the year.

Didn't realise it was in a pot - it's probably old enough now to not be able to cope with being in a pot any longer, no matter how big the pot - that's probably why it hasn't flowered.

Our garden is a "container garden" so no chance of it going in the ground. Would it survive repotting into a larger pot maybe?

Unlikely L33 particularly as it is already stressed right now. You would be better to give it to someone who can plant in the ground and start with a smaller one again. If you container garden then you have to accept there is a point when the shrub is too big to be in a pot. If you repotted last year, which you say you did, that will have stressed the shrub then the heavy frosts and possibly a frozen pot... does not add up to a happy mahonia.

Thanks moon_grower, I may have to bite the bullet and pass on my plant and buy a new one :-(