Evening star., 1962-11-18
Tough, Versatile Holly
A Graceful Bockdrop

IIlS IOldge mOSC aCCrdCLlVe DuC
it is the one holly that will fruit
to some extent without a male
being present. 1t is the one
holly that will set fruit more
abundantly through the use of
a fruiting hormone. The Chi
nese holly, (most people grow
the form "Burfordi,~ is a mod
crate sized shrub, 10 to IL feet,
but can be kept to a much
lower height through one or
two prunings a year. There is a
dwarf form of the Burfordi
that has smaller leaves and
stature.
There is another form of the
Chinese holly - I. cornuta ro-
tunda, that remains low and
compact. 1t does not have the
dark green foliage OF the Bur-
fordi and the leaves are veryl
spiny. The low compact growth
is the major attraction. This is
a non-fruiting form, although
it has been reported that a red
fruiting form has been found
and it is likely that within a
few years it will be on the
market.
The Christmas Holly
The English hollies Il. aqui-
foliumJ Of which there are a
considerable number of varie-
ties, seems Just a bit tender for
winters of exceptional severity
such as 1960-61. Fortunately
such winters are rare, and many
will continue to grow and enjoy
their English hollies because of
the excellent foliage and
fruiting characteristics. While
the English often trim their
hollies to formal shapes and
hedges, they are more common
ly grown here as large shrubs
or small trees. There are many
variegated forms of the Eng
lish holly which are much
priced by the flower arrangers,
and are smaller growing shrubs.
It is the English holly that is
used in the Oregon holly tree
farms from which many car
loads of branches are shipped
to market each holiday season
for the making Of Christmas
decorations.
Lesser Known Hybrids
The Chinese holly, I. Pernyi, is
not as widely grown in this
area as the others mentioned
above although it has interest
ing foliage, red fruits, and is
hardy. There are several hy-
birds of the Pernyi with /. veit-
chi and with the English holly
Il. aquifolium) which have var
iations in habit of growth and +
to a lesser extent leaf form. q
Pernyi has a very dense habit ;
and is a slow grower, whereas :
the Aqua -Pernyi and Pernyi- :
veitchi seem to be a bit faster !;
in growth. :
There are many other hollies q
that one may read about but I
only a few are hardy enough e
for this area. The Long-stalk :
holly Il. pedunculosa) is the
hardest of all, but few care for T
it because the foliage resembles {
q laurel. The Yaupon Il. vomi- !
toria) which is native to the Z
deep South does have a form
that will take our weather and
has been used here as a hedge
plant with success. There are a !
few hybrids such as East Palat- $
ka, ETC., that have some Of the !
southern hollies as parents that :
are not always hardy here. /
However, the Foster is doing .
well in this area. !
The hollies are best trans /
planted in the spring, enjoy a i
moist but not wet situation, K
and need a mulch over the root f
area. They do not need winter e
protection in most situations al t
though the Chinese and the t
English will probably lose fewer q
leaves if sheltered or screened q
from the winter sun. A spring a
feeding with one of the acid t
forming fertilizers will speed i
the growth. Pruning each il
Christmas season helps to keep t
Jhe hollies compact and attrac-
i've. 4, f