Posted: Friday 16 December 2011
by James Alexander-Sinclair
If you want a really good berrying holly for your garden then here are my top three[...]
This time of year is not, I am sure you will agree, very planty. Our gardens are definitely out there but are not at their most welcoming. However, there are one or two plants which seem to sum up this time of year.
The obvious ones are The Holly and The Ivy: mostly because they are the commonest of our native evergreens, so they are available and useful for decoration in the deep midwinter. (The only other obvious native evergreen is the yew, which has too many graveyard connotations to be used comfortably as a decoration).
In the carol, the ivy gets pretty short shrift, as most of the verses are about how fabulous holly is. You will remember that, “Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown”. Holly also gets centre stage in “Deck the halls with boughs of holly, tra-la-la etc. etc.”. It is a marvellous plant, and is one of our best garden shrubs. Most obviously because of the startling scarlet berries (the flowers are small and pretty insignificant), but I think it is the sheer glossiness of the leaves that make it special. They look as if they have been polished with beeswax.
If you want a really good berrying holly for your garden then here are my top three:
Ilex aquifolium - this is the native holly. It will grow (quite slowly) into a good-sized tree, up to 25m high, although it responds well to pruning, so can be reduced to a shrub.
Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Marginata' - I am not really very keen on variegation, but the silvery white edges to these leaves are quite subtle. It grows to about 15m high. There is also a weeping version, called Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Marginata Pendula’.
Ilex aquifolium ‘J.C. van Tol’ - Suitable for those of a nervous disposition: a holly whose spikiness has been almost entirely removed. It will reach 6m in height.
And, as a bonus:
Ilex aquifolium ‘Ferox’ - this one does not produce berries, but has extraordinarily vicious leaves. Perfect as a burglar deterrent.
Other festive plants include (obviously) the Christmas tree - as in “O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, Wie treu sind deine Blätter!” or (if your prefer the less evocative translation) “Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, your branches green delight us!”. The only other planty carol I can remember is “Mistletoe and Wine” by Cliff Richard, but I will stop there as I hear the distinct sound of a barrel being scraped.
Have a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all in 2012.
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