The festive American holly - In profile - plants

American Forests, Wntr, 2002 by Jeff Ball

The American holly has always played an important role in this country's culture. Even before European settlers arrived in North America, native Americans boiled American holly twigs with pine tops to produce a tea to cure coughs. Today evergreen leaves and red berries are synonymous with Christmas in the United States.

When the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts a week before Christmas in 1620, they saw American holly (Ilex opaca) in the nearby forest and no doubt were reminded of English holly (flex aquifolium), for centuries a symbol of Christmas in England and Europe.

Because American holly is native along the East Coast from Massachusetts to northern Florida, virtually all settlers in those first 100 years were able to continue their Christmas tradition in their new land. Since then American holly--also called dune holly, white holly and, of course, Christmas holly--has been one of the East's more valuable and popular trees.

In the early 20th century holly branches became such a popular indoor Christmas decoration that vandals began stealing them from private landscapes. To preserve the landscape in Maryland and Delaware, where the native tree is prolific, laws were passed prohibiting the sale of fresh American holly.

A SLOW GROWER

American holly grows somewhat slowly, eventually reaching a height of 15 to 30 feet in an erect but compact pyramidal or columnar form. It's also not uncommon to see a tree grow nearly 50 feet tail. Branching from the trunk begins at ground level, but many homeowners prefer to prune the lower limbs to give the plant a more tree-like appearance. Planted in the right conditions with proper care, hollies can live for 100 years or more. They typically spread from 8 to 15 feet in diameter, although spreads of 18 to 40 feet are not unheard of. Mature American homes have a trunk 12 to 18 inches in diameter.

Stiff and prickly evergreen American holly leaves are a glossy medium green to oilve green on the surface and lighter green on the underside. Their broadly indented margins show the distinctive prickly spines that are typical of most evergreen hollies--and dangerous to bare feet! Measuring 2 to 4 inches long and i to 1-1/2 inches wide, depending on the variety, the leaves are arranged alternately along the holly stems. They remain attached for three years and are then shed in the spring. Some varieties of American homes have variegated leaves of cream and green.

Holly bark is light gray and smooth; twigs are gray-white. The wood is light and dense but not strong. It sands and turns easily and pollshes to a fine luster.

American holly is diecious, meaning that both male and female plants are needed for fruit production. One male plant can provide pollen to three to eight female plants. It's possible to graft a male branch onto a female plant, thereby giving the plant its own built-in pollen source. I wonder why that isn't routinely done for home landscape plants; perhaps the shape of the tree is affected? If you know the answer, please e-mailjeflball@yardener.com.

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.

Stunning 1/4-inch red berries appear on female trees in mid-autumn on the current year's growth. A few varieties sport yellow berries. The berries hang on into early spring unless devoured by songbirds, bobwhite, deer, squirrels, or wild turkey. American holly trees are a major food source for winter-migrating flacks of small birds such as the cedar waxwing and American goldfinch, and stands of hollies are an important fast food stop in their migrations.

POPULAR FOR LANDSCAPES

American hollies have become popular as landscape plants and make excellent stand-alone specimen trees when planted singly and given sufficient space to grow. However, many homeowners choose to group them as hedges to screen their yards from neighbors or traffic noise or to serve as background plantings. Some varieties lend themselves to topiary sculpture, espalier, or bonsai training. Several varieties are able to withstand salt spray and are recommended for use in seashore landscapes.

There are hundreds of varieties of American holly, though most are not commonly used in the landscape industry. For that reason, it's not a good idea to recommend a species for use in all parts of its range. Regional differences among holly varieties are important for hardiness. Also important is good information. Seek advice from a reliable local nursery when looking for an American holly tree for your home landscape.

As noted earlier, holly branches are ideal as holiday decorations. After harvesting the berry-laden branches, slit the cut ends to help them absorb water and soak for 3 to 4 hours in a tub of room temperature water They last longest if kept in water to which a teaspoon of sugar has been added. Adding a half a cup of citrus-based soda (not diet) to a large container of water will also help prolong the life of the boughs and retard berry drop. The water should be changed every three days. Spraying the holly with an anti-transpirant will extend the life of boughs draped on lintels and mantels or incorporated into wreaths. Do not use live greens near fireplaces or lit candies.