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“The Holly and The Ivy, when they are both full grown… of all the trees that are in the woods, the Holly wears the crown!” The words of this traditional carol celebrate the elegance of the holly tree, whose bright red berries and green leaves brighten our holiday décor. Holly was significant to the ancient Druids and Romans before becoming part of the Christmas tradition, and it has a special place in my heart at this time of year.
American Holly trees, Ilex opaca, have been major components of formal American landscapes since the 18th century. George Washington planted them along the bowling green at Mount Vernon. They can be used as striking single specimens and planted as tall hedges. The berries are an attractive winter food for songbirds. The evergreen leaves and bright red berries provide welcome color in the landscape during the stark winter months.
American Holly is also known as Christmas Holly. Gathering holly and other greenery has always been part of our family’s Christmas preparations. Along with stringing twinkle lights, baking gingerbread, and decorating the tree, it’s one of those holiday traditions that just gets me whistling “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls!”
The week before my very first Christmas, my parents bundled me up and put me into the backpack carrier. We spent a snowy afternoon traipsing through the woods in our Laurel, MD neighborhood . There were native holly trees all over, so by breaking off a berried twig here and a little branch there, we soon had more than enough to add a touch of festive color to our little apartment.
My mother tried to plant holly trees when we lived in Virginia, but her best efforts were defeated by the stubborn clay of our yard there. We still had holly for the holidays, but we had to forage for it. In Pennsylvania, where winters are too cold for most holly varieties, she was reduced to paying exorbitant prices for tiny scraps. My husband grew up with hollies in the yard that his mother would clip for Christmas decorations. Although more civilized than our expeditions through the underbrush, her berry gathering lacked that snap of adventure. But she was assured of a ready supply for her lovely holiday arrangements. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we visited his parents in Winston-Salem, NC. The stunning American Holly in front of their home was probably planted 80 years ago, when the house was built. When the great oak behind drops its leaves, the holly takes center stage. They planted a screening hedge of Foster and Savannah Holly trees (Ilex x attenuata) along one side of their yard 20 years ago, and just last summer they added several well shaped trees (Ilex cornuta) to finish the back border.
A little pruning of the Foster Holly trees in the side yard gave me a whole grocery bag full of branches laden with brilliant red berries. I’ll not only add these to my evergreen wreath for the front door, I’ll put them up the stairway, over picture frames, on the mantle, and in other unexpected places for a touch of holiday color. The steady rain we’d had the night before cutting helped the holly greenery stay fresh on the way home. Before working with it, I let it soak further in a tub of water. Spraying cut greens with an anti-transpirant such as Wilt-PrufTM can also keep them looking fresher all through the holidays. Such sprays will also help protect the foliage on holly trees from harsh winter winds.
Holly trees are dioecious, meaning that both male and female trees flower, but only female trees produce fruit. Most people prefer the female trees, but in order to get berries it’s necessary to have a male tree somewhere nearby. Alternately, female trees may have male branches grafted onto them for pollination. An old gardening book on my mother’s shelf even suggests, “during the flowering season, a few branches from the male tree may be hung (in bottles of water) in the tree whose blossoms are to be fertilized.” [1] I can just picture that! On the advice of a local nurseryman, I planted only female trees and took a “wait and see” attitude. With so many holly trees in the area, he said it was likely that pollination would occur, and indeed my trees had berries the following year. If female trees don’t produce berries within a couple of years, then it’s time to plant a male tree of the same species in your yard. If space is a consideration, the male tree can be pruned to the size of a shrub and tucked into any odd corner.
Many specific cultivars of American Holly now exist that have been selected for foliage, size/habit, and berry production. Although spacing requirements may vary with variety, all hollies like fertile, acid soil. Amending the planting hole with peat moss, leaf mold, or compost will get your holly off to a good start. Good drainage is important too, and organic soil amendments help with that also.
Holly trees can be pruned at Christmas or in early spring to shape them as needed. Since I don’t have a use for the trimmings in my Easter decorations, I think I’ll be pruning my trees in December. Although hollies can recover from more drastic “hat rack” pruning, cutting them back so severely isn’t generally recommended. Most specimens seem to find their own natural shapes without much assistance.
PlantFiles includes 26 cultivars of American Holly and 207 other Ilex varieties in its listings. For additional information, check out this American Holly native range map and see this American Forest's article, "The Festive American Holly." When we moved to Frederick, some of the first trees we planted were American Holly saplings. I’m still very protective of these small trees, but any year now I will no longer be able to resist taking a few small snips of them for holiday centerpieces.
Happy Holly-daze!
[1] Youngman, Wilbur H. The Washington Star Garden Book. Washington, DC: The Evening Star Newspaper Inc., 1968. p. 112.
Photographs by Jill M. Nicolaus, 2006 and 2007.
About Jill M. Nicolaus
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. This week, I've been cutting lavender, putting up pluots (plum-apricot fruits), and pulling weeds (always, LOL). I love being outside in the cooler morning -- coffee cup in one hand, watering hose in the other -- watching the birds and butterflies among the flowers.(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by doris37 (from Topeka, KS) on June 6, 2008 at 9:46 AM:
Reading about others holly trees- I must tell my story. From a very tiny seedling dug up in Delaware at least 25 years ago. my Kansas holly is now over 20 feet tall and still going! When brought to Kansas I was told by the local nursery- "won't grow here". Well, if I plant it, what is my best location, I asked. North side protected from summer winds! So, carefully between garage wall and our front walk, went holly seedling! Grow it did and now we have an issue- move garage, sidewalk, etc or drastically trim holly! It produces lots of berries (most years) for Christmas decorations and for the birds! It tries very hard to achieve the pyramid, "evergreen'" shape of the large native holly tree- and most people can't believe their eyes!
I don't get "little ones", don't know why- maybe soil and sidewalk are to blame.
Love holly and my man eating holly tree is very special.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on June 6, 2008 at 10:24 AM:
That's wonderful!
Here, we have just the opposite issue with siting holly trees -- I try to protect them from the winter winds that can dry them out. If you notice the wind doing any harm, an application of "Wilt Pruf" or a similar anti-dessicant is a good preventative measure.
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Subject: Consider the Holly Society of America
Posted by holly_grower (from Bear, DE) on December 10, 2007 at 5:37 PM:
This was a great article, with I loved your photos! Interested readers might want to learn more from the Holly Society of America, which has a website at [HYPERLINK@www.hollysocam.org] . They can help put people in touch with local growers who can recommend the best holly varieties for individual locations or special growing needs. Individual membership is quite reasonable, and there is a network of local chapters as well.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 10, 2007 at 9:59 PM:
Great to know -- thanks for the link!
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Subject: Male & Female
Posted by music2keep (from Peterstown, WV) on December 9, 2007 at 10:12 AM:
Critter, This may be rather lenghty, but here goes...I have native Holly on my little acre + & have only seen a couple of berries (last years observation) on one 20 footer, one berry on another, & I'm guessing that the others are too imature at this point. When do they produce berries? I have a feeling that I am looking for berries at the wrong time. I went up in the woods last week & didn't see any berries. Do you have any input? Could the birds be beating me to the berries? Any comments would be very helpful.
Thanks,
Joey
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 9, 2007 at 11:13 AM:
If they're 20 foot trees, it seems to me they should be producing berries. My little American holly trees are barely taller than I am, and they have berries... since about August, I think, although I didn't make a note of the exact timing. If you've seen at least one berry, then you do have female trees, so maybe you simply need a male tree more nearby... or, as you said, it could be that the birds are eating up all the berries before you see them.
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Posted by music2keep (from Peterstown, WV) on December 9, 2007 at 12:52 PM:
Thanks for your input. I think I'll need to check "things" out a wee bit earlier. With our weather being so dry this year, my guess is that the birds have eaten them.
Again, Thank you. Your article is very informative & a really good read.
Joey
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Posted by ViburnumValley (from Scott County, KY) on December 9, 2007 at 1:21 PM:
Nice article, Critter.
Joey:
Like many other plants, American holly is going to flower better/heavier in longer sun exposures, as well as ample moisture and fertility of soils. Doesn't mean it won't grow in tougher sites, it just does better when conditions are better. Planting some hollies in sunnier spots where you might add some TLC will yield (like Critter's) more flowering and fruiting, and sooner.
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Posted by pelletory (from Marlton, NJ) on December 9, 2007 at 2:25 PM:
Nice article critter!
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 9, 2007 at 5:30 PM:
Very nice article - both your information AND photos were a delight :)
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on December 9, 2007 at 6:36 PM:
Critter, very nice in every respect. Do you think it's legal for me to go back to the house we owned 14 years ago and dig up the holly we planted there? Do you have a particular recommendation of a holly that will stay small? (Most of my plants tend to get too big for their station in life.) Or shall I just weed through the PlantFiles? Come to think of it, it should be somewhere we can see it in the winter, which means we'll have to rip out something boring! Sounds like fun! Thank you. xxx, Carrie
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Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on December 9, 2007 at 7:30 PM:
Nice job Jill!
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Posted by rcn48 (from Lexington, VA) on December 9, 2007 at 8:03 PM:
Jill, great article and beautiful photos! Kind of sad this year, no berries on our hollies for decorating :( I thought it might have something to do with the weird weather this past year? Warm winter/spring with the exception of an unusually late freeze and severe drought to boot, still! But then after reading VV's response, I'm thinking that a few of the trees in the area that have really grown may be due for a pruning to allow more light for the hollies. Going to put it on my "to-do" list :)
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Posted by soapwort243 (from South Milwaukee, WI) on December 9, 2007 at 11:13 PM:
Critter, Great article--very interesting. I have 2 China girl hollies and 1 China boy.-- The girls are very pretty-lots of berries. The boy is kind of scrubby, but I guess he is serving his purpose. This article was a good reminder to go out and get some clipping to bring in. They are covered with snow so I forgot about them. :)
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Posted by frostweed (from Arlington, TX) on December 9, 2007 at 11:18 PM:
I love the hollies especially the American holly, I have one that I have been nurturing for about 10 years, it is very slow growing, but is is lovely.
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Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on December 10, 2007 at 12:00 AM:
Jill, you write from your heart. Your love of the holly trees shines through. Wonderful photos, too.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 10, 2007 at 2:53 PM:
Thanks, everyone! I'm not much of an expert on growing them (mine are young), but I do love holly trees. There are loads of great tips in PF, though, and I do think it's true that more sunshine means better berry production.
Although this is the time of year when I really appreciate my holly trees, I love having them in my landscape year round. I'd encourage anybody who lives in an area where hollies will grow to find room for one or two trees... :-)
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Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on December 10, 2007 at 10:00 PM:
Jill- Congrats on another nice article! Pictures are great too! If someone is wondering how to tell whether s/he has a male or female tree, I just happen to have this handy from Alan Sommer's Carroll Gardens newsletter about male vs female holly flowers-
"Flowering begins about the fourth or fifth year. American holly flowers are creamy-white and small, with four tiny petals. Male flowers grow in small clusters where the leaves join the stems. Female flowers are solitary or in smaller clusters than the male flowers. Males have four stamens sticking up between the petals; females have bulb-like structures in the center, with little stalks rising from them. The flowers of both sexes appear in late spring or early summer, and pollination occurs thanks to bees, wasps, ants, yellow jackets, and night-flying moths. "
I saved this because I get alot of volunteers and may try to keep the females mostly, if they ever get to flowering size.
