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High on holly: how to choose and use the versatile shrub
Sunset, Dec, 2004 by Steven R. Lorton
There's more to holly than the shapely, lustrous leaves and winter berries that enhance our winter bouquets, wreaths, and swags. These versatile evergreen shrubs and trees (a few are deciduous) can bring year-round beauty to the garden, whether in dense hedges or espaliers, as vertical accents, or in containers. They're among the best "bones" of a landscape.
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Of about 400 species, English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is perhaps the most widely known. It grows slowly to 40 feet or more, although in gardens, varieties such as 'Gold Coast' and 'Sparkler' stay under 12 feet tall. New selections whose leaves are edged or splashed with cream or gold can brighten a dark spot in a garden or serve as a background for other plants.
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Some hollies are self-fruitful and don't require a pollenizer, so you don't need two plants to get berries. These include named varieties of Ilex X aquipernyi (a hybrid between I. aquifolium and I. pernyi) such as 'San Jose' and 'Brilliant'; both produce small red berries and grow in mild climates (Sunset climate zones 4-9 and 14-24).
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But most hollies require a male and a female plant to grow within 100 feet of one another for the female to reliably produce berries. One male plant can pollinate any number of females nearby. The best bet: Plant a male of the same species as the female (plants are typically labeled). Some recently introduced varieties of I. X meserveae (hybrids between I. aquifolium and a cold-tolerant species from northern Japan), for example, are sold in male-female pairs: I. X m. 'Blue Girl' and I. X m. 'Blue Boy'.
This month, nurseries will be offering dozens of hollies, many in full berry. You can plant them in the garden or in larger containers, or slip them--still in nursery cans--into decorative pots. (If you use plants in cans for indoor decorating, set them outside at night and give them a good misting. The next morning, bring them back indoors for the day.)
Hollies have long lifespans; plant one now and it may well produce sprigs for your great-grandchildren to harvest during holidays to come.
RELATED ARTICLE: Growing tips
For best performance, hollies need the following:
Climate. English hollies grow best in the Northwest and in Northern California. In mild-winter areas, choose varieties that can take more heat, such as Ilex cornuta 'Berries Jubilee' (a dwarf, dome-shaped plant 4 to 6 ft. tall with red berries); I. c. 'Burfordii' (to 15 ft. tall with nearly spineless leaves and red berries); I. c. 'Dazzler' (to 10 ft. tall, with stout-spined leaves and red berries); and I. 'San Jose Hybrid', with spiny leaves and red berries. In cold climates, try American holly (I. opaca).
Soil. Provide rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Exposure. For best berry production and compact growth, give plants full sun.
Water. Hollies tolerate drought, but their leaves shine more brightly and their berries are plumper and more profuse if they get regular water.
Mulch. Cover the soil around plants with a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic mulch to suppress weeds and keep the soil moist and cool.
Pruning. In winter, cut back plants to restore their shapes or to remove dead or damaged branches. When harvesting branches to use for holiday greens, cut on a downward-pointing angle just above the next largest shoot or limb. Or take the branch all the way back to the trunk.
RELATED ARTICLE: Six great hollies
Varieties of English holly (Ilex aquifolium) can have red, orange, or yellow berries, as the sampling at right shows. Except where noted, those listed below require a pollenizer to produce berries, and will grow about 20 to 25 feet tall and 8 feet wide in 15 years; best in zones 4-9 and 14-17.
* Ilex aquifolium 'San Gabriel' (A). Red berries appear among smooth-edged, dark green leaves. Does not require a pollenizer. A strong background plant.
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* I. a. 'Amber' (B). Orange berries, dark green leaves. Pair it with late-coloring deciduous trees like Japanese maples and Parrotia persica.
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* I. a. 'Flavescens' (C). Red berries; leaves splashed with yellow, especially in sun. For optimal leaf color, this plant needs full sun and little, if any, fertilizer. Pretty beside yellowtwig dogwood (Cornus stolonifera 'Flaviramea').
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* I. a. 'Handsworth New Silver' (D). Red berries with creamy white--edged leaves. New growth is white with a pinkish hue.
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* I. a. 'Green Pillar' (E). Red berries above glossy, deep green leaves. Slow growing to 10 or 12 feet tall, 4 to 5 feet wide in 15 years with a dense, tight, columnar growth pattern. Makes a good accent in the garden.
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* American holly (I. opaca) (F). Red to yellow berries, depending on variety, aren't quite as numerous as on I. aquifolium. 'Canary' bears a profusion of yellow berries. Grows to 40 feet or more; zones 2-9, 14-17, 19-23.
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COPYRIGHT 2004 Sunset Publishing Corp.
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