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A Holly Hearty Enough for Us

By 250 News

Holly (Ilex) has been associated with winter festivals for hundreds of years. The early Romans were known to adorn their halls with holly for the feast of Saturnalia, which was celebrated in the winter. Known as the ‘Holy Tree’ by medieval monks it was said that holly would give protection from the evil spirits and later it was known as the emblem of eternal life. 

The wood of a holly tree is closely grained and very hard making it an ideal wood for the making of musical instruments and furniture. With over 300 different varieties of holly ranging in size from 1 foot to 80 feet in height there was not a holly hardy enough to grow in Prince George (zone 3) until recently. The Ilex meserveae is a zone 3 evergreen holly shrub that can withstand our cold winters. The leaves are wide, thick and dark green and the shrub grows from 5-7 feet tall. 

In order for this holly along with many others to produce berries, it needs to be pollinated so you need to have at least two plants (male and female). The male does not produce berries only the female does and one male plant can have 5-6 female plants closely surround it and have each of the female plants produce berries. 

In the Ilex meserveae variety, the male is named ‘Blue Boy’ and the female is ‘Blue Girl’. 

Holly should be planted in a sheltered area of the yard where it will receive sun to partial shade. The soil should be slightly acidic as well as being rich and well-drained. Holly does not do well in drought conditions so plant it where it will receive ample moisture so that is does not go dry. Holly plants have a shallow root system and do not like having their roots being disturbed by cultivating too closely to them. Providing mulch around the shrub will help keep weeds from coming through as well as aid in keeping the soil moist for a longer period around the plant. 

This time of year Holly is popular in the florist as it is used in arrangements. The thick glossy leaves last a long time if they are kept moist. 

Another beautiful holly used in arrangements is the ‘Winterberry’ which are long leafless branches filled with bright orange/red berries that make quite a stunning display. The branches are available in the garden center for those do it yourself florists! 

I would like to wish everyone a very Special Christmas filled with loving memories.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns three Art Knapp's Garden Centres in the Prince George area
-Highway 16 West
-Highway 97 south at the old Cariboo Highway
-Highway 97 north
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