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 holly (Ilex opaca) are the best choice in over half the nation. Many of these have been known to withstand temperatures of thirty below zero.
For steady, heavy berrying, depth of green leaf color, and pleasing habit of growth, I recommend Old Heavy Berry, Cardinal Improved, Farage, Big Red, and Hedgeholly.
When a low and broad holly is needed, plant Maryland Dwarf. For the novelty of pure yellow berries, try Canary.
These are all female varieties. Pollinator males such as Old Leatherleaf and Highway are also necessary for holly planting. The bees ensure the berry crop by carrying pollen from the male holly to the female hollies.
For best results, the two sexes should be planted within 40′ feet of each other with no buildings or other obstacles to hinder the travel of bees from one to the other. One male in a group of several females is sufficient.
Identifying and Choosing The Right Holly
Only the female Holly bears berries. To identify the sex of Holly, study the tiny white flowers in the spring.
The female flower has a green center that looks like a small berry. The male flower is somewhat fluffy and yellow with pollen dust.
If there are lots of hollies in your neighborhood, you probably need to plant only female trees.
Hardy Holly: Ilex Pedunculosa
Ilex pedunculosa is another hardy holly. It will grow where the northern varieties of Ilex opaca thrive and has leaves that resemble those of a pear tree, yet they stay green all winter.
The berries are bright red and on long stalks so that they stand out handsomely among the leaves.
Pedunculosa grows densely yet has grace and informality. In time, it becomes a small tree, but by annual pruning, it can be used as an ideal mixer to blend with other plants in almost any kind of planting.
Other Available Hollies
What of the other hollies available? Less than a tenth of the nation can grow English holly. Chinese Holly performs best in the South and Southwest. Japanese Holly is cold-hardy but looks more like black-berried boxwood than Holly.
Seed-grown or wild American hollies sometimes are 12’ feet tall before they first bear berries and often have inferior foliage and fruit. The American hollies from the South are usually too tender for Northern gardens.
Using Holly in Landscaping
Where there is sufficient space, American Holly makes a wonderful lawn-specimen tree.
In such a location, a plant 15 years old will often reach a height of 12’ feet with a branch spread of 8’ feet. The same plant, if it were planted near the house, could have been held by yearly pruning to a height of 6’ to 8’ feet, with a width of 4’ or 5’ feet.
Holly is an ideal plant to locate beside a favorite window so that you can look out and see the bright berries and dark green leaves at close range, even in the coldest weather.
Birds are attracted to hollies and often build nests within the shelter of the leaves. Because they are showy all year, hollies are excellent choices for entranceway plantings.
Ideal Growing Conditions For Holly
Strong winds do more harm to Holly than cold weather. Select a wind-sheltered planting location if your house is near an open field or on a windy hill. Hollies often do best on the east side of a building.
They are shown to have a good advantage when planted to the lee of a group of needle evergreens. Walls, hedges, and fences make good backgrounds for Holly and provide natural wind protection.
44659 by Tom Dilatush