You can have the bright red berries and dark green leaves of holly in your garden if you observe these three keys to success: Choose varieties likely to succeed in your climate, select a favorable planting location with good soil, and provide a reasonable amount of care after planting. The hardy northern varieties of American … Read more
Landscaping is not an exact science and therefore is interesting. It may be formal or informal so long as it reflects your personality and meets your needs. In creating a picture with living plants, make a study of the types you will use to enhance the beauty of your property. Versatile Holly For this study, … Read more
Plant materials of ilex species have been entering this country through the Section of Plant Introduction, U.S.D.A.’s efforts since 1898. The first of these introductions was a shipment of seeds of I. aquifolium sent from France by W. T. Swingle, plant explorer for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Those seeds were given the P. … Read more
Holly selections for ornamental uses are propagated almost entirely from cuttings. This is because the seed is slow to germinate, and young plants often differ in fruit and foliage from the parents. Since rooted slips or cuttings produce young plants with the same characteristics as the parents, vegetative reproduction perpetuates choice varieties. Horticulturists propagate American … Read more
Inseparably linked with Christmas and long a favorite winter decoration, the holly has established a claim upon our hearts that sets it apart among evergreens. The startling loveliness of its brilliant berries studded among glossy, dark green leaves, when most trees are bare or unrelieved somber evergreens, places it in the forefront of winter ornamentals. … Read more
The useful holly makes an ideal hedge and does well in informal groups and as a background for dogwood and other flowering shrubs, but perhaps nowhere is it more effective in landscape work than when planted with plenty of room to grow into a beautiful specimen tree. You will enjoy it for a long time, … Read more
Many of the old gardens around Charleston, West Virginia, have beautiful red-berried American hollies, Ilex opaca, at Christmas time. I envied them but, living in a rented house, did not want to put much money into planting. My Holly Plants Arrived One day, though, some 19 years ago, I saw an advertisement for small male … Read more
The feeding tray serves as a convenient small stage on which we may observe the performing bird actors close at hand. Many birds—purple finches, evening grosbeaks. Cardinals, fox sparrows, towhees. Woodpeckers and the like—are chiefly known to the general public for their activities at the feeding station. That is. They are usually seen eating sunflower … Read more
Much has been written in recent months on hardiness. The many facets of the term have been discussed with explanations of each, but I suspect there will continue to be unexpected losses. Perhaps the ability of a tree, like a man, to withstand extremes of heat or cold depends upon general robustness, in addition to … Read more
In recent years, Hollies have taken the gardening public by storm. And why shouldn’t they receive attention after so many decades of neglect? They are not difficult to transplant, as was once widely believed. Nor are they especially slow-growing, provided proper requirements are met. However, pollen from male plants is necessary to ensure the setting … Read more