Hollies Celebrate the Winter with Berries – Maybe

With our thoughts turning toward winter holiday season plants I thought it might be “wise” to share some tips about hollies from Linda S. Wiles, Extension Educator, Monroe County.

Typically we think of the Christmas time holly with evergreen, pointed leaves and red berries - Ilex aquifolium, but there are also hollies that are deciduous, have smooth leaves, and/or black berries. It is such a diverse group that even working around cold-hardiness, you can probably find one that works for your property.

Inquiries regarding holly plants not having berries are frequent in winter. This occurs because holly has either male or female flowers, but not both on the same plant. If your holly does not have berries, one of the first things to consider is that the plant may be male or that it may be a female without a nearby compatible male. Some holly cultivars bloom at different times and they need to be blooming simultaneously in order to produce berries. To ease landscape congestion and increase berried plants, you only need one male holly for several female hollies.

There are two other situations that can result in “berryless” hollies. The first is that the plant is too young to flower; the second is the result of weather problems.

For information on hollies and other trees and shrubs for Pennsylvania you can view the free publication A Guide for Selecting Shrubs for Pennsylvania Landscapes by going to the web at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uj257.pdf or call your county extension office. In Lackawanna County call our garden help line at 963-6842 ext. 1377 or email us at LackawannaMG@psu.edu


Terry Schettini, Extension Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County