Distinctive features of the holly, tips for caring for the garden: a place for planting, watering, feeding, reproduction, pest and disease control, species. Holly (Ilex) is often found in botanical literature under the name Holly, and this plant belongs to the Holly family (Aquifoliaceae). This representative of the flora can take both a shrub growth and a tree-like one. The native territories of distribution are in the tropical and temperate regions of our planet. There are up to 400 varieties in the genus of botanists. These plants love to settle in nature everywhere in mixed forests.
Holly bears its Latin name from its evergreen "relative" - the Stone Oak (Quercus ilex).
Holly has a long life cycle and can be either deciduous or evergreen. In conditions of natural growth, it reaches a height of 10-25 meters, while the diameter of the trunk varies in the range of 40-80 cm, if the holly has the shape of a tree. When it grows as a shrub, such a plant is up to one and a half meters wide with a total height of 4.5 m. The trunk is usually distinguished by a smooth surface and gray color.
Young shoots of holly have pointed outlines, leaf plates are simple, located in a regular sequence. The shape of the leaves is serrated or notched-pointed. The top of the foliage can be either whole or cut, decorated with thorns. It is because of these thorns that the gardener is advised to wear fairly thick gloves when working with holly. But even at the same time, you will have to be careful, because sometimes even dense fabric does not save you and you can prick your fingers. Holly thorns are distinguished by their extraordinary sharpness, even on dry fallen leaves the thorns remain "fully armed". However, evergreen varieties are of great value, which will delight with their foliage all year round.
Holly leaf plates are highly appreciated by gardeners, as they are distinguished by a leathery surface, with a shiny glossy upper side, a rich dark emerald color, on the other side, a matte and light green leaf. But there are also two-colored varieties, the foliage of which has whitish or cream shades.
Holly flowering is completely nondescript, while small flowers of whitish color are formed on the plant. They are mainly found in the leaf axils during the spring months. Due to the fact that only female or male buds are formed on each specimen (that is, the holly is a monoecious representative of the flora), it is recommended to plant male and female holly side by side for pollination.
The process of fruit ripening occurs in autumn, then attractive berries begin to form on the plant, which delight the eye with their color for a long time, they include red, yellow, white, black or orange colors. Fruits on the holly can persist throughout the winter months, when the foliage has already flown around. Berries are drupes with a seed enclosed in a stone inside.
Holly are often used for single planting or for the formation of hedges and phytodecoration of backyard territories. In room conditions, the plant is used for growing in the bonsai style.
Rules for caring for holly during cultivation, planting on the site
- Selection of a place for disembarkation. It is best when the plant is planted in light partial shade, which is created in the garden by large trees or there is another shade. It is not recommended to plant holly in the sun, but if the foliage has two or three colors, then good lighting is required for it, but it should be diffused - without direct sunlight. Wind protection will also be required. Since the holly is an evergreen representative of the flora, it can, like such plants, suffer from the winter sun, and this is taken into account when choosing a place so that there is protection from direct streams of ultraviolet radiation in winter and spring. During these periods, many gardeners use burlap to cover young bushes from the sun. Many varieties are frost-resistant, but in our latitudes, when grown outdoors, the holly can freeze over, so it is better to immediately grow it in a tub, so that later, with the arrival of late autumn, it can be transferred to a winter garden.
- Soil selection. Basically, all these plants prefer sandy or clayey soils, but they need humus, as well as peat and sand, to increase water permeability. The soil should be light, rich, with good moisture properties. Such soil can be collected in the forest under deciduous trees.
- Watering. Some varieties of holly do not tolerate drought very well, but generally the plant can cope with a short-term lack of watering. But stagnant water is pretty damaging to the holly. During the warm period of the year, watering, in principle, for the holly is not carried out, since the plant has enough moisture that is in the soil.
- General rules for care. For all shrub varieties, it is necessary to weed and loosen the trunk circle. At the same time, it is recommended to remove branches that have dried up and died during the winter period. If the variety has variegated foliage, then it is imperative to remove those shoots on which leaves of the same color began to form. Since the plant is monoecious (there are only male or female flowers on one specimen), at least two holly specimens will be required for fruiting and pollination. And the planting of female and male plants should be close.
- Pruning a bush carried out at will, since the growth rate of the holly is rather slow. The crown of a plant naturally has the correct shape and a curly "haircut" is performed only if the specimen has become quite large. But if it is decided to cut off the holly, then this is done at the end of its fruiting, that is, when the time comes for the beginning of a new season for the activation of the growing season.
- Holly fertilizers. With the arrival of spring, the trunk circle should be covered with compost, to which complete complex fertilizers are added.
Remember! Holly transplanting has a very negative effect, so you should immediately choose the right place for this plant.
DIY Holly Breeding Steps
Basically, hollies reproduce by cuttings or layering, the seed method is quite rare, since the germination of seeds is low (only 5–6%).
If a decision is made for seed reproduction, then it will be necessary to stratify the planting material - that is, the seeds are kept for a long time at low heat values (3-5 degrees), imitating winter or, as in nature, passing through the digestive tract of birds. For holly, the seeds are stratified for 18 months.
But often hollies are propagated vegetatively, cutting blanks from branches for grafting in the summer. This method is the fastest and with it it is possible to preserve the purity of the variety. Cuttings are cut from semi-lignified branches of this year. In this case, garden tools (knife or pruning shears) should be well sharpened. The length of the cutting should be 4–5 cm with 1–2 internodes on it. The cut is made at an angle (oblique) - the lower one is performed under the kidney, and the upper one should pass under it. Fresh cuttings are immediately planted in a greenhouse. In this case, the soil is composed of humus (its thickness should be within 8–12 cm), 3-4 cm of river sand is poured onto it. The workpieces are buried one and a half to two centimeters.
When leaving, it is recommended to carry out frequent spraying of the cuttings and moisten the soil, the planted branches shade from the direct rays of the sun, and the heat indicators should not be too low. Holly cuttings take root for 2-4 weeks. When young holly develop a fairly good root system, then transplant is performed to the selected location.
Holly diseases and pests, methods of dealing with them
Holly when grown in open ground often suffer from late blight (Phytophthora), which usually appears in late summer, when the weather is rainy and the heat is low (20-25 degrees). The problem is that this disease affects one plant and then spreads to another.
The most common signs of late blight is the appearance of a brownish-gray color on the foliage, and the spots are surrounded by a ring of whitish mold or they are covered with a coating that looks quite like a cobweb. Parts of the plant that have been affected quickly die off and often this leads to the fact that the holly dies.
Basically, there is no cure for late blight, and the diseased specimen will have to be removed, and the soil around it should be disinfected. Since the holly is poisonous, pests are not a problem for him.
Interesting facts about holly
The plant has long been appreciated by humanity. Since holly can easily tolerate soil salinity, they were planted as hedges that are reliable along the coastline.
If we talk about a variety of Paraguayan holly (Ilex paraguariensis), then its foliage and stem are used to obtain a drink that resembles tea and is known in the world under the name "mate".
The beneficial and medicinal properties of holly have also long been familiar to many nationalities where this representative of the flora grows in nature. Holly foliage has diuretic, antiseptic, anti-febrile and cardiotonic properties. With the help of preparations made on the basis of holly leaves, they successfully cure colds and coughs, fever and bronchitis. Similar remedies for dropsy, rheumatism and arthritis symptoms also help.
Holly species
- Wrinkled holly (Ilex rugosa) grows in the Far East, which includes Sakhalin, the Kuriles, as well as the lands of Primorye and Japan. Prefers to settle in fir-spruce or cedar-spruce forests. This plant is the most ancient representative of the flora of these regions. It is a shrub with non-falling foliage and low-growing or creeping shoots. Its height is 40 cm. The plant does not bloom. If it turns out to be under the snow, it begins to freeze over, since it does not differ in winter hardiness. Because of this, this variety is rarely used for landscaping.
- Holly (Ilex aquifolium) often referred to as the common holly. In conditions of wild growth, there is an opportunity to meet this plant in the forests of North America and Asia Minor, the holly is not uncommon in southern and Atlantic Europe. Mainly takes the form of a shrub, but occasionally can grow like a tree. Its height rarely exceeds 15 meters, it is distinguished by evergreen foliage. The branches of the plant are short, but spreading, through them a dense crown with a pyramidal or oblong shape is formed. The leaves have short petioles, their outlines are oblong-ovate, the length of the leaf reaches 7 cm. The edge of the leaf plate is wavy, decorated with large spiky triangular teeth. When a leaf grows on an old holly specimen, it is practically whole-edge. When flowering, white flowers are formed, crowning short pedicels. The fruits are spherical, with a diameter of about 1 cm, they look quite decorative on the plant, as they are painted in bright red color. The berries are collected in brushes, on short pedicels, and so they can hold on throughout the winter. The lifespan of some specimens reaches a century. Differs in shade tolerance and can briefly survive 20-degree frosts. There are various forms, which differ in the shape of the crown, the color of the berries and the contours of the leaf plates.
- Colchis holly (Ilex colchica) is a native of the lands of Transcaucasia and Asia Minor. In its historical homeland, a plant can take the form of a tree with drooping shoots or a shrub with branches spreading over the soil surface. In the middle lane, this variety reaches no more than half a meter in height. The leaf plates are leathery, with teeth, prickly, their color is rich and rather dark, deep green, on the back side the leaf is slightly lighter. In nature, it can suffer from freezing up to snow cover, but it has a quick recovery.
- Crenate holly (Ilex crenata) also often referred to as the Jagged Holly. The native area of distribution falls on the territory of South Sakhalin, Japan and the Kuril Islands. It has a tree-like form of growth and can reach up to a height of about 7 m with shoots. Occasionally it grows in the form of a shrub. Quite similar to boxwood due to its highly decorative green deciduous mass. In Japan, it is customary to grow this variety as a dwarf crop, while the bushes are figuratively trimmed. If it grows on the lands of the Crimea and the Caucasus, then the growth rate is rather low and fruiting is weak. In the gardens, you can mainly find the Fastigiata and Convexa varieties.
- Holly meservae (Ilex x meservae) is a novelty for our gardening enthusiasts, as it is a hybrid of the European variety of the common holly and the Korean type of wrinkled holly. This plant perfectly withstands frosts, which are not uncommon in the Moscow region.
- Whorled Holly (Ilex x verticillata) has a rather decorative outline. The native area of distribution falls on the territory of the Northeast of North America. It prefers to grow in humid areas, it is found in swamps and the banks of waterways and reservoirs. The branches of the plant amaze with the beauty of their outlines, and they, like sea buckthorn, are usually covered with fruits-berries of orange color, which can be kept on the plant throughout the winter, serving as a living decoration against the background of a snow cover. A shrub at 10 years of age has a height in the range of 0.4–1.4 m. At the same time, the crown in diameter can reach 30–100 cm. When the age of this variety approaches 23 years, the height is measured at 2.7 m at the diameter of the crown of the specimen is within 160-220 cm. The period of vegetation activity extends to May-October. The growth rate is rather slow. The flowering process begins at the age of 16, while flowers are formed annually from late June or early July during a crescent. Fruiting also begins with the onset of flowering; drupes ripen at the end of September or from the beginning of October days. The fruits stay on the plant all winter. In severe winters, the variety suffers from freezing. There is a possibility of rooting cuttings cut in the summer (11%), with the help of seeds it reproduces poorly (germination rate is only 6%).
- Paraguayan holly (Ilex paraguariensis) is a native of South America, which includes Brazil and Argentina, it is also not uncommon on the lands of Uruguay and Paraguay (where the specific name came from). It is an evergreen shrub or can grow like a tree, not exceeding 15 meters in height. A tea-like drink is prepared from it - mate.
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