In Season: Organic Gardening Newsletter December 03, 2008
Tags: Gardening
Holly Days
When the halls are all decked, stop to admire the boughs of holly. Thick, durable leaves, brightly colored berries that birds love, looks good in winter-this is a shrub that deserves a place in every yard. And fortunately, the holly family comprises 400 different species, so every gardener-regardless of climate, soil conditions or style-can grow them. Here are a few fine choices, and then some hints for planting and tending them.
English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is a native of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. Its glossy foliage is either deep-green or marked with yellow, cream, or silver. Its berries are bright red. High humidity and cool summers-English weather-are ideal for English holly, which is why it thrives along the East Coast up to southern New England or in the Pacific Northwest. It does not do well where summers blistering hot and dry, such as the Southwest.
As a native adapted to our climate, American holly (I. opaca) is much more suitable for most North American gardens than English holly. It grows well from the very southern parts of New England, south to Florida and west to Texas. (The famous maze at the Governor's Mansion in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia is made from American holly.) Although recommended for sunny spots, American holly will tolerate some shade. And it is tough enough for seaside gardens. Its spiny leaves are less glossy than those of English holly.
Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is the hardiest evergreen holly. It has 1- to 2-inch leaves and black or white berries. Found in swampy areas in the East, inkberry grows in wet or well-drained soil. And it tolerates shade and dry, windy sites. Seaside gardeners find it especially valuable. Also called gallberry or Appalachian tea, inkberry makes a fine hedge.
Blue hollies or Meserve hybrids (Ilex X Meserveae) have glossy, blue-green foliage like the English type and they form nice hedges. They are particularly cold-tolerant evergreens.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), sometimes called black alder, is the hardiest native holly. It grows from Georgia to southern Canada in swampy areas but does not require wet soil. It prefers acid soil and tolerates shade. Unlike the other hollies mentioned here, it is not evergreen. The foliage turns black and drops after the first hard freeze, revealing generous clusters of bright-red, quarter-inch fruit that contrasts with the black branches. The fruit persists until January, when hungry birds polish it off.
Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta) is a densely branched shrub or small tree. It has shiny, dark-green leaves that can be oval or so curled as to appear rectangular, with only single spines at the four corners. It bears large clusters of half-inch, orange-red fruit. Unlike most hollies, Chinese holly can produce fruit without pollination, so male plants aren't necessary for a good show. This holly fares well in Southern gardens because it is drought tolerant. (And some specimens have withstood temperatures as high as 118 degrees F.)
Luster-leaf holly (Ilex latifolia), another choice for Southern gardens, can reach 60 feet at maturity. Its large, 3-to-6-inch leathery leaves are accented by clusters of small, red fruit. It is reliably hardy only to zone 8 or southern portions of zone 7.
Planting and tending
Hollies are "dioecious," meaning male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. Only female plants produce berries, and in all but a few cases they must be pollinated by nearby males to do so. Bees are the primary pollinators. Male plants can pollinate females of the same species growing within a half mile, or three or four city blocks. For best results, males should be within several hundred feet of females. Fortunately, named male varieties are available, and reputable nurseries label the plants' sex whenever possible to help gardeners choose.
Plant hollies in spring before they begin to grow. That is, before the buds begin to swell, but not after May 1 (earlier in the South). Early spring planting allows the plants to grow some roots before summer to help them withstand heat and drought. Dig a hole equal to the height of the root ball. You don't need to amend the soil unless it is poorly drained or heavy clay. In that case, select a site on a slope and heavily work the soil—adding organic matter and sand—to encourage drainage, or plant in raised beds.
Hollies are shallow-rooted, so avoid cultivating the soil around them after you've planted them. They benefit from a thick mulch of wood chips or pine needles, which retains water and keeps the roots cool during summer.
Feed hollies in early spring, by spreading a half-inch layer of compost, cottonseed meal or well-rotted manure around the base (about the diameter of the drip line).
Prune hollies at any time of the year except late summer or early fall. Dormant pruning is best, which fortunately means that clipping off branches for Christmas decorations is a fine idea. Once the basic shape of a plant is established, hollies actually require very little pruning from year to year. Annual trimming, however, helps thicken growth and enhance shape
Where to see hollies
If you want to see the hollies mentioned in this article and many more, spend a sunny winter day touring one of these extensive collections.
Ashumet Holly Reservation and Wildlife Sanctuary,
Ashumet Road,
Falmouth, MA 02536
(508) 563-6390
Missouri Botanical Garden
2315 Tower Grove Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
(800) 642-8842
www.mobot.org/
Morris Arboretum
9414 Meadowbrook Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 247-5777
www.upenn.edu/arboretum
JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University
Department of Horticultural Science
Box 7609, North Carolina State University
Raleigh NC, 27695-7609
(919) 515-7641
http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/
U.S. National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002-1958
(202) 245-2726
www.ars-grin.gov/na/index.html
Washington Park Arboretum
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98105, Box 358010
Seattle, WA 98195-8010
(206) 543-8800
www.depts.washington.edu/wpa/
If this interests you, consider subscribing to the newsletter. It contains far more than I can put in here.
More great winter plants...
Paperbark Maple
Witch Hazel
Hellebores
Create a Windowsill Herb Garden
Get your gardening fix this winter by growing a few herbs indoors. Check out our expert tips here.
10 Best Herbs for Indoors
Discover which herbs grow best indoors and smart techniques for keeping them happy and healthy all winter long.
Basil: Start basil from seeds and place the pots in a south-facing window—it likes lots of sun and warmth.
Bay: A perennial that grows well in containers all year long. Place the pot in an east, or west, facing window, but be sure it does not get crowded—bay needs air circulation to remain healthy.
Chervil: Start chervil seeds in late summer. It grows well in low light but needs 65 to 70 degrees F temperatures to thrive.
Chives: Dig up a clump from your garden at the end of the growing season and pot it up. Leave the pot outside until the leaves die back. In early winter, move the pot to your coolest indoor spot (such as a basement) for a few days, then finally to your brightest window.
Oregano: Your best bet is to start with a tip cutting from an outdoor plant. Place the pot in a south-facing window.
Parsley: You can start this herb from seeds or dig up a clump from your garden at the end of the season. Parsley likes full sun, but will grow slowly in an east, or west, facing window.
Rosemary: Start with a cutting of rosemary, and keep it in moist soilless mix until it roots. It grows best in a south-facing window.
Sage: Take a tip cutting from an outdoor plant to start an indoor sage. It tolerates dry, indoor air well, but it needs the strong sun it will get in a south-facing window.
Tarragon: A dormant period in late fall or early winter is essential for tarragon to grow indoors. Pot up a mature plant from your outdoor garden and leave it outside until the leaves die back. Bring it to your coolest indoor spot for a few days, then place it in a south-facing window for as much sun as possible. Feed well with an organic liquid fertilizer.
Thyme: You can start thyme indoors either by rooting a soft tip cutting or by digging up and potting an outdoor plant. Thyme likes full sun but will grow in an east, or west, facing window.
Natural Decorating
Add natural touches to your home this holiday with these simple ideas and enjoy the beauty of nature all year long.
Nature is a rich and inspiring source for decorations that give your home a "garden-y" look and feel.
· Use slender branches about the length of a walking stick to hang curtains. Smooth the surface with sandpaper to prevent snags.
· For a centerpiece, set a thick candle in the midst of small pinecones on a platter, or trail pine boughs and pinecones down the center of the dining table, adding candles for warmth.
· Save colorful fall leaves in layers of waxed paper. Use them throughout the season in glass containers or running down the center of a dining table. Need place cards? Write each guest's name on a leaf with a felt-tip pen and place it on the plate.
· Gracefully shaped bare branches or tall grasses look dramatic in a glass vase.
· Grow plants in your garden that will dry well for arrangements, including strawflowers, alliums, grasses, and hydrangeas. Pick a few not fully opened and hang them upside down in a warm area for several weeks.
· Arrange grasses, berry branches, and seedpods in an earthenware container.
· Grow small containers of fragrant herbs in terra-cotta pots to set around the house. English clay pots are available from greatstuffbypaul.com.
· Find an alphabet made of twigs--an exciting long-walk challenge to a child. Look for shapes about 6 to 8 inches high that mimic the letters of the alphabet. Put them up as a border where the wall meets the ceiling in the dining room.
Ideas for the Holidays
There are so many ways to add natural touches to your interior decor.
· Save dried hydrangea blooms, alliums (Allium cristophii is particularly nice), and pinecones for their natural beauty. Display them in rustic containers or small garden pails. Pinecones stand out in a ceramic bowl or handwoven basket.
· For a more festive display, use gold or silver Krylon spray paint (spray outside) on the blooms and pinecones. Pile the pinecones in clear glass vessels; bunch the alliums and attach them upside down from a hanging pot rack.
· Tiny holiday lights wrapped around a bare branch make an instant chandelier (tie fishing line at various spots and attach it to small hooks in the ceiling) or candelabra when placed on a table.
· Use wild grapevine to create a wreath. Attach small pinecones with a glue gun. Magnolia leaves also lend themselves to the design of a wreath.
· Wrap gifts in brown paper and tie with raffia, then glue on tiny gold and silver pinecones or acorns.
· Fill vertical glass containers with small stones. Place them on the mantel with large pinecones and pine branch swags, punctuated by thick candles.
· Set a pot of cider on a back burner on low heat. Add cinnamon sticks and let the fragrance of the apple harvest fill your home.
Note: This is only part of the OG Newsletter, you really need to see the entire newsletter. - Mag
Holly Days
When the halls are all decked, stop to admire the boughs of holly. Thick, durable leaves, brightly colored berries that birds love, looks good in winter-this is a shrub that deserves a place in every yard. And fortunately, the holly family comprises 400 different species, so every gardener-regardless of climate, soil conditions or style-can grow them. Here are a few fine choices, and then some hints for planting and tending them.
English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is a native of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. Its glossy foliage is either deep-green or marked with yellow, cream, or silver. Its berries are bright red. High humidity and cool summers-English weather-are ideal for English holly, which is why it thrives along the East Coast up to southern New England or in the Pacific Northwest. It does not do well where summers blistering hot and dry, such as the Southwest.
As a native adapted to our climate, American holly (I. opaca) is much more suitable for most North American gardens than English holly. It grows well from the very southern parts of New England, south to Florida and west to Texas. (The famous maze at the Governor's Mansion in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia is made from American holly.) Although recommended for sunny spots, American holly will tolerate some shade. And it is tough enough for seaside gardens. Its spiny leaves are less glossy than those of English holly.
Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is the hardiest evergreen holly. It has 1- to 2-inch leaves and black or white berries. Found in swampy areas in the East, inkberry grows in wet or well-drained soil. And it tolerates shade and dry, windy sites. Seaside gardeners find it especially valuable. Also called gallberry or Appalachian tea, inkberry makes a fine hedge.
Blue hollies or Meserve hybrids (Ilex X Meserveae) have glossy, blue-green foliage like the English type and they form nice hedges. They are particularly cold-tolerant evergreens.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), sometimes called black alder, is the hardiest native holly. It grows from Georgia to southern Canada in swampy areas but does not require wet soil. It prefers acid soil and tolerates shade. Unlike the other hollies mentioned here, it is not evergreen. The foliage turns black and drops after the first hard freeze, revealing generous clusters of bright-red, quarter-inch fruit that contrasts with the black branches. The fruit persists until January, when hungry birds polish it off.
Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta) is a densely branched shrub or small tree. It has shiny, dark-green leaves that can be oval or so curled as to appear rectangular, with only single spines at the four corners. It bears large clusters of half-inch, orange-red fruit. Unlike most hollies, Chinese holly can produce fruit without pollination, so male plants aren't necessary for a good show. This holly fares well in Southern gardens because it is drought tolerant. (And some specimens have withstood temperatures as high as 118 degrees F.)
Luster-leaf holly (Ilex latifolia), another choice for Southern gardens, can reach 60 feet at maturity. Its large, 3-to-6-inch leathery leaves are accented by clusters of small, red fruit. It is reliably hardy only to zone 8 or southern portions of zone 7.
Planting and tending
Hollies are "dioecious," meaning male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. Only female plants produce berries, and in all but a few cases they must be pollinated by nearby males to do so. Bees are the primary pollinators. Male plants can pollinate females of the same species growing within a half mile, or three or four city blocks. For best results, males should be within several hundred feet of females. Fortunately, named male varieties are available, and reputable nurseries label the plants' sex whenever possible to help gardeners choose.
Plant hollies in spring before they begin to grow. That is, before the buds begin to swell, but not after May 1 (earlier in the South). Early spring planting allows the plants to grow some roots before summer to help them withstand heat and drought. Dig a hole equal to the height of the root ball. You don't need to amend the soil unless it is poorly drained or heavy clay. In that case, select a site on a slope and heavily work the soil—adding organic matter and sand—to encourage drainage, or plant in raised beds.
Hollies are shallow-rooted, so avoid cultivating the soil around them after you've planted them. They benefit from a thick mulch of wood chips or pine needles, which retains water and keeps the roots cool during summer.
Feed hollies in early spring, by spreading a half-inch layer of compost, cottonseed meal or well-rotted manure around the base (about the diameter of the drip line).
Prune hollies at any time of the year except late summer or early fall. Dormant pruning is best, which fortunately means that clipping off branches for Christmas decorations is a fine idea. Once the basic shape of a plant is established, hollies actually require very little pruning from year to year. Annual trimming, however, helps thicken growth and enhance shape
Where to see hollies
If you want to see the hollies mentioned in this article and many more, spend a sunny winter day touring one of these extensive collections.
Ashumet Holly Reservation and Wildlife Sanctuary,
Ashumet Road,
Falmouth, MA 02536
(508) 563-6390
Missouri Botanical Garden
2315 Tower Grove Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
(800) 642-8842
www.mobot.org/
Morris Arboretum
9414 Meadowbrook Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 247-5777
www.upenn.edu/arboretum
JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University
Department of Horticultural Science
Box 7609, North Carolina State University
Raleigh NC, 27695-7609
(919) 515-7641
http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/
U.S. National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002-1958
(202) 245-2726
www.ars-grin.gov/na/index.html
Washington Park Arboretum
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98105, Box 358010
Seattle, WA 98195-8010
(206) 543-8800
www.depts.washington.edu/wpa/
If this interests you, consider subscribing to the newsletter. It contains far more than I can put in here.
More great winter plants...
Paperbark Maple
Witch Hazel
Hellebores
Create a Windowsill Herb Garden
Get your gardening fix this winter by growing a few herbs indoors. Check out our expert tips here.
10 Best Herbs for Indoors
Discover which herbs grow best indoors and smart techniques for keeping them happy and healthy all winter long.
Basil: Start basil from seeds and place the pots in a south-facing window—it likes lots of sun and warmth.
Bay: A perennial that grows well in containers all year long. Place the pot in an east, or west, facing window, but be sure it does not get crowded—bay needs air circulation to remain healthy.
Chervil: Start chervil seeds in late summer. It grows well in low light but needs 65 to 70 degrees F temperatures to thrive.
Chives: Dig up a clump from your garden at the end of the growing season and pot it up. Leave the pot outside until the leaves die back. In early winter, move the pot to your coolest indoor spot (such as a basement) for a few days, then finally to your brightest window.
Oregano: Your best bet is to start with a tip cutting from an outdoor plant. Place the pot in a south-facing window.
Parsley: You can start this herb from seeds or dig up a clump from your garden at the end of the season. Parsley likes full sun, but will grow slowly in an east, or west, facing window.
Rosemary: Start with a cutting of rosemary, and keep it in moist soilless mix until it roots. It grows best in a south-facing window.
Sage: Take a tip cutting from an outdoor plant to start an indoor sage. It tolerates dry, indoor air well, but it needs the strong sun it will get in a south-facing window.
Tarragon: A dormant period in late fall or early winter is essential for tarragon to grow indoors. Pot up a mature plant from your outdoor garden and leave it outside until the leaves die back. Bring it to your coolest indoor spot for a few days, then place it in a south-facing window for as much sun as possible. Feed well with an organic liquid fertilizer.
Thyme: You can start thyme indoors either by rooting a soft tip cutting or by digging up and potting an outdoor plant. Thyme likes full sun but will grow in an east, or west, facing window.
Natural Decorating
Add natural touches to your home this holiday with these simple ideas and enjoy the beauty of nature all year long.
Nature is a rich and inspiring source for decorations that give your home a "garden-y" look and feel.
· Use slender branches about the length of a walking stick to hang curtains. Smooth the surface with sandpaper to prevent snags.
· For a centerpiece, set a thick candle in the midst of small pinecones on a platter, or trail pine boughs and pinecones down the center of the dining table, adding candles for warmth.
· Save colorful fall leaves in layers of waxed paper. Use them throughout the season in glass containers or running down the center of a dining table. Need place cards? Write each guest's name on a leaf with a felt-tip pen and place it on the plate.
· Gracefully shaped bare branches or tall grasses look dramatic in a glass vase.
· Grow plants in your garden that will dry well for arrangements, including strawflowers, alliums, grasses, and hydrangeas. Pick a few not fully opened and hang them upside down in a warm area for several weeks.
· Arrange grasses, berry branches, and seedpods in an earthenware container.
· Grow small containers of fragrant herbs in terra-cotta pots to set around the house. English clay pots are available from greatstuffbypaul.com.
· Find an alphabet made of twigs--an exciting long-walk challenge to a child. Look for shapes about 6 to 8 inches high that mimic the letters of the alphabet. Put them up as a border where the wall meets the ceiling in the dining room.
Ideas for the Holidays
There are so many ways to add natural touches to your interior decor.
· Save dried hydrangea blooms, alliums (Allium cristophii is particularly nice), and pinecones for their natural beauty. Display them in rustic containers or small garden pails. Pinecones stand out in a ceramic bowl or handwoven basket.
· For a more festive display, use gold or silver Krylon spray paint (spray outside) on the blooms and pinecones. Pile the pinecones in clear glass vessels; bunch the alliums and attach them upside down from a hanging pot rack.
· Tiny holiday lights wrapped around a bare branch make an instant chandelier (tie fishing line at various spots and attach it to small hooks in the ceiling) or candelabra when placed on a table.
· Use wild grapevine to create a wreath. Attach small pinecones with a glue gun. Magnolia leaves also lend themselves to the design of a wreath.
· Wrap gifts in brown paper and tie with raffia, then glue on tiny gold and silver pinecones or acorns.
· Fill vertical glass containers with small stones. Place them on the mantel with large pinecones and pine branch swags, punctuated by thick candles.
· Set a pot of cider on a back burner on low heat. Add cinnamon sticks and let the fragrance of the apple harvest fill your home.
Note: This is only part of the OG Newsletter, you really need to see the entire newsletter. - Mag