Out
On A Limb / December 2005
Deck The Halls
Holly has been used in decorations and celebrations since the days of ancient Rome. Folklore has linked the lush, red-berried plant with Christmas celebrations for centuries, and long before that, with ancient Roman harvest festivals. It was a popular legend that elves and fairies rested in holly and kept house goblins from mischief. Holly has historically been planted around homes to keep away evil spirits. Today, people still love the sight of holly’s cheerful colors peeking out from a snowy landscape, or holly trimmings shaped into wreaths or garlands for the holidays.
Holly with shiny, spiky, dark-green leaves and clusters of bright-red berries is the traditional Christmas plant, but there are four hundred species in the Holly genus Ilex worldwide, from dwarf shrubs to hundred foot trees. They can be rounded, pyramidal or columnar in form. Most are evergreen although some species shed their leaves once a year.
Holly leaves vary from bright to dusky to dark shades of green and many are variegated with cream or yellow leaf margins. Some are smooth rather than spiky.
Originally known as aquifolium, meaning “having pointed leaves”, European Holly had the scientific name, Ilex aquifolium. The new world counterpart was named Ilex opaca, meaning dark or shaded and referred to the dusky color of the American holly, with its lighter, not so glossy leaves. American Holly has 30 species and 1000 cultivars.
Hollies create year-round foliage interest, flowering in spring or summer, with berries at their best in November and December and continued through spring.
There are male and female plants. The males produce pollen and the female plants produce berries. A male plant must be within a mile or two to pollinate, usually with the help of a honeybees. Just one male will fertilize 30 or more female hollies.
Most hollies are adaptable and easy to maintain. They generally prefer a well-drained, slightly acidic soil (pH between 5.5 and 7.0) that is high in organic matter. Evergreen hollies like full sun. Spring is generally the best time to plant, late summer the time to prune, but once established, hollies require little care and are drought tolerant.
With their great range of size, texture, shape and ornamental characteristics, holly plants are an invaluable addition to any landscape. There are hollies with yellow berries, white berries, orange berries and claret colored berries, holly that resembles boxwood and one holly, Inkberry, is an evergreen with long lasting black berries.
Holly foliage comes in an array of hues including purple, blue, dark green, pale green and variegated. The foliage can be as beautiful as any flower. ‘Argentia Marginata Pendula’ has arching branches covered with white variegated leaves that look like a cascade of water. ‘Ferox argentea’, hedgehog holly, has spines around the edges and on the surface of cream-edged green leaves. Elegant longstalk holly has tapering leaves with smooth, undulating edges and Winterberry holly loses its foliage before Christmas, leaving a spectacular show of brilliant red berries.
As a Christmas plant, holly dates from the reign of Henry VI (1422-1461). Fresh green holly was the “wintry emblem” in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and Londoners decked their shops, homes and churches with holly during Victoria’s reign. Pilgrims noted the presence of holly in Massachusetts when they landed in 1620. Generations of homemakers have featured the decorating diversity of holly for home and garden.
Hollies have a long history with humans, and most make excellent ornamental plants. Anyone fortunate enough to receive a holly plant as a gift, should keep it alive by placing it in a shallow dish of water with a layer of pebbles, in bright spot in the house, and misting regularly. The dish will help create a microclimate with higher humidity around the plant. Holly leaf loss is usually from low humidity. Plant it outdoors in early spring when the leaves start to come out on the trees and chances are good for a jolly holly bush next winter. But, successful or not, thanks to the versatility of the plant and the sheer abundance of holly, from florists, friends and neighbors, there’s no need for anyone to to be without holly to deck their halls and doors. PL, MG
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