It's the most wonderful time of the year, and I'm part of the reason for that. When the Pilgrims landed the day before Christmas, they used me for decorations. I'm a long-lived, slow growing, evergreen native and grow all along the East Coast down to the Gulf of Mexico, but my natural habitat is being destroyed by poor conservation. I can grow at altitudes up to 4,000 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. My dense uniform shape with short horizontal branches makes me a fine specimen plant, but I'm also good as a hedge. I can maintain my conical shape if you don't remove my lower branches.
My bark can be light gray, thin and smooth, or it can be rough and warty. Deep green toothed leaves are the perfect foil for my bright red berries, which appear in winter. I'm dioecious, and only female plants produce berries. These berries provide food for song birds, game birds, and deer and other mammals. There must be a male plant nearby for fertilization to occur. Cold weather is usually not a problem. Plant me in my dormant period from November to February.
My pests include fungi, mildew, rust, leaf miners and scale (which is treated with two applications of horticultural oil ten days apart). If the pH of the soil is greater than 6.5, chlorosis may develop. An annual application of a slow-release fertilizer (12-12-12) will keep me happy.
Piano keys can be made from my white wood when it's dyed to resemble ebony. I'm also used for violin pegs and fingerboards.
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My bark can be light gray, thin and smooth, or it can be rough and warty. Deep green toothed leaves are the perfect foil for my bright red berries, which appear in winter. I'm dioecious, and only female plants produce berries. These berries provide food for song birds, game birds, and deer and other mammals. There must be a male plant nearby for fertilization to occur. Cold weather is usually not a problem. Plant me in my dormant period from November to February.
My pests include fungi, mildew, rust, leaf miners and scale (which is treated with two applications of horticultural oil ten days apart). If the pH of the soil is greater than 6.5, chlorosis may develop. An annual application of a slow-release fertilizer (12-12-12) will keep me happy.
Piano keys can be made from my white wood when it's dyed to resemble ebony. I'm also used for violin pegs and fingerboards.
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 Credit: The University of Alabama Arboretum |  Credit: Native Plant Trust |
Ilex opaca: American Holly, Christmas Holly.
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