I hope you all had a wonderful, Peaceful Christmas.
Now feels like the time for me to start the gardening year. At first the feeling is slow, almost imperceptible, but its there and each day the days are getting just that little bit longer and the prospect of getting out there more appealing.
The shortest day in terms of daylight hours where I live is over and despite the cold weather and seemingly bleak outlook, if you listen and look carefully you can feel nature starting to wake up.
Now is the day if I am home, that I venture out into the garden. During most of December I rarely go into the garden, we have heavy, wet clay soil and when rainy it only gets muddy and then compacted if I tread on it. In freezing weather it really is hard like a stone. I can do a lot more harm than good gardening at this time in our garden. So generally for most of December the garden and I have a break from each other.
However today I look and listen and I can feel my soul wanting to reconnect with the garden. There is often not too much to look at now and all the winter jobs are done. However, as I gaze around I look for tiny signs of growth and appreciate the bones of the garden. The evergreens that are always there, are so reliable, so constant and without the distraction of colour and flowers, they come into their own right now.
Holly Types And Growing Needs
The best at this time of year is the Holly. Although Holly can be deciduous, we grow only the evergreen type. The Holly tree is a symbol of winter and festivity and many of us cut and bring in Holly branches to decorate our homes in winter.
The holly tree, common Holly, or to give it is rather pretty Latin name Ilex aquifolium, is an evergreen shrub or tree that can potentially grow up to around 15 meters plus or about 50 feet tall though you can prune to keep it more manageable.
There are also many smaller varieties reaching up to half that size such as Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Mermaid' 6m x 4m (approx 20 x 13 feet) or even smaller sizes suitable for a pot like Ilex aquifolium 'Hascombensis' 2.5m x 1.5m (approx 8 x 5 feet). These are more suitable for a small garden or if you simply want a smaller tree with less maintenance. Some even have lovely variagated leaves such as Ilex x altaclerensis 'Golden King' 6m x 3m (approx 20 x 10 feet), which is a female variety and does produce red berries.
Holly Berries can be colours mostly from red to yellow and orange on different varieties. A Holly Plant is generally either male or female so to get those beautiful berries you will need a female tree with male tree nearby. However some of the male varieties even though there are no berries, have really gorgeous leaves and habits and are worth growing.
Holly is grown in gardens both domestic and stately, woodland and hedgerows mainly. It can be a specimum plant glorious on its own or grown as part of a pretty inpenetrable spiky hedge which is excellent for security. We grow it alone and as part of our mixed hedge. It is also found in the wild where the common Holly can grow very tall and wide indeed if unchecked.
Holly is beautiful with often very dark green, glossy, and usually very spiky sometimes variagated leaves. It can have small white flowers in Spring, though most will not be grown for the flowers. The main feature of the female Holly is the beautiful berries that really brighten up the day and look spectacular against the dark green leaves.
It prefers to grow in a sunny or semi shade position on moist but well drained soil. It is not fussy about soil being happy in loam, chalk, sand or clay and acid, neutral or alkaline soil type. It can cope well in an exposed site or a sheltered position and is content to face any way except north.
I have only space to mention a few varieties of Holly here. If you want Holly in your own garden there are so many varieties offering different sizes and features it is best to research what is suitable for your garden and needs.
Uses Of The Holly Tree
The Holly tree is a very valuable tree for its many uses.
As the wood is hard, heavy, and fine-grained, it is good for making furniture, carving, and inlay work. Leaves and berries are wonderful for crafting projects whether it is using real Holly or artificial Holly.
It can be used for Christmas or New year decorations including wreaths, and table centre pieces or a winter display to brighten up a dull corner.
At a time when flowers are rare in the garden and expensive to buy, a display of Holly in a vase is a beautiful alternative through out winter.
Holly For Nature
For nature Holly is an extremely valuable tree. The spiky leaves provide safe shelter all year round and nesting sites.
The Winter time berries are food for birds and small mammals and the flowers in Spring attract bees and pollinators.
Even its roots help to stabilise the soil and prevent erosion.
Holly In Mythology and Symbolism
The Holly tree has a rich history of mythology and symbolism.
For many of us Holly is a part of the Holiday festivities bringing in boughs of Holly real or artificial for home decor and is a symbol of joy. When we bring in Holly into our homes it is also supposed to protect from evil spirits and lightning, and to bring prosperity and good luck!
Holly has associations with the sun god and the winter solstice, and was considered a sacred plant by the Druids, Romans, and Celts. It was believed to have magical powers, such as healing, protection, and fertility. It was also a symbol of peace, joy and goodwill, and was used to make crowns and gifts.
The Holly was adopted by Christianity, as a symbol of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection with the crown of thorns representing blood and eternal life.
We even have songs about Holly such as "The Holly And The Ivy", perfectly performed here by Kings College, Cambridge UK.
So the holly tree is a stunning plant in nature and in our gardens that has history, mythology and many benefits for us and wildlife.
To step outside into the garden on a crisp cold day in the midst of winter or wrap up and enjoy a winter walk and see a glorious Holly tree covered in gorgeous berries is a highlight of the season and one I always look forward to.
Here are some Holly related items you may enjoy.
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