given it wants to get 10 feet tall and about 6 feet wide, no, its not a good subject for a pot - it'll be okay for a while, but will need to go in the ground as it gets bigger. I'm afraid garden centre information, generally, is about as good as a dodgy estate agent's. Always best to look at the plant label for the plant's eventual height and spread before buying, or look it up separately.

No variety of Mahonia is good for containers - as Bamboo says, they get far too big and will soon outgrow the space.

If I were you, I would take it back to the garden centre to get my money back. It was misdescribed, so, as long as you still have the label and receipt, they're legally obliged to do so.

I planted Mahonia Charity in a shady area of my garden about 5 years ago and still it is only two and a half foot high with a spread of two foot. I pruned the width of it down a couple of years ago hoping it would then grow taller but no so far it is small. Plenty of flower buds coming now though.

I would say yours would be fine in a pot for two or three years.

Ours is about six years old and considerably taller than me even though I cut quite a lot off it last year. Probably be OK for a year or even two in a container but after that best in the ground. I think garden centres cater for people who buy for the present and never mind a year or two on -- I reckon some of them might hope things will have died by then and need replacing...

Reckon my soil isn't too good Stera, saying that though, I do dig in garden compost and feed.....

Watching Monty Don the other night he planted up a winter tub with a Mahonia. I was once told by a very old
Plantsman that anything can be grown in a pot, obviously it will be restricted, but then take it out, prune the roots and repot...... I have Malus Butterball in a half barrel....it's about 6ft after 4 years....very restricted but I love it's diminutive size covered in the golden apples.

The only problem with growing mahonia in a pot is that it can be a pain (literally) to repot in a few years time. They're not the easiest of things to handle when they get bigger - but, as Janey says, Monty Drone made up a pot with mahonia and daffs for winter/spring colour. (It's episode 28 on BBC iplayer)
Mahonia will take fairly hard pruning and it won't run riot in a pot so there's no reason why it should get out of hand.

I do wonder if the garden centre's mention of its being suitable for potting was only meant because its coming up winter, and many garden centres sell small or young evegreen shrubs for use in planting displays in tubs over winter, usually along with pansies, ivies, that sort of thing. I've certainly used Osmanthus, Euonymus japonica varieties and Skimmias for this purpose, even in window boxes. But they're not meant to stay there for years...

Well anyway now you've got it why not just bash on and do what you were going to do? If it starts to look unhappy in a year or two its time to worry then. (With thick gloves on) After all people use skimmias for winter bedding and they get big eventually.

Yep, I've just used a Skimmia in a hanging basket, and a couple more with two Heucheras in a window box - but they'll be moved out in late spring.

What do you do with them then Bamboo? I can't bear throwing healthy things away, which is partly why my garden is a bit messy....

Depends how good the client is at keeping them watered! If they're still alive by May, I squeeze them in the garden somewhere, or someone's garden anyway, but often, they look fire ravaged by the time I clear them out, they're so dry. Southfacing front, they've got, so its warm most of the year, in full sun if there is any.

Its a dodgy old life being a bedding plant...

Oh I dunno - short but glorious, for most. There's something to be said for that!

Lol...