HOLLY CARE - Practical guide with tips

Holly, with a scientific name Ilex aquifoliumIt is a small, slow-growing tree that is very popular at Christmas parties. In fact, the abuse over many years of plants like holly and mistletoe at Christmas It has led them to be in danger and both are currently protected species, so that only the plants sold in garden stores or similar places can be used as Christmas decorations and they have been grown expressly for this, never taken directly from the nature. Therefore, the first thing you should know is that it is totally forbidden to take holly or its fruits of nature, and in some countries the fines are very severe.

However, as we indicated, it is possible to buy holly trees and plants, which are particularly common in stores at this time, so if you plan to get one or have received it as a gif.webpt, read this carefully. holly care guide to learn how to care for a holly plant to accompany you for many years.

Holly characteristics

These are some of the main characteristics of holly:

The holly plant can reach sizes of up to 10 meters, although it is much more common to see potted holly in small bushes. The holly in the gardenOn the other hand, it can grow much larger, and with enough time reach great heights.
The most striking thing about this plant is its bright red fruit, which is also toxic if ingested, so it must be kept away from children and animals at home.
The holly leaves they are rigid, with a serrated edge, slightly spiny and of a very beautiful dark green color.
Its trunk is smooth and straight and the plant adopts a pyramidal shape when it grows.
Y when does holly bloom? It is in spring when its small white flowers appear, forming compact clusters in the axils of the leaves.

If you like this plant because it is cold resistant and brightens up the landscape at this time, before we begin to explain in detail how to care for a holly, we want to indicate that you may also like this other article by Green Ecologist about 10 cold resistant outdoor plants and in the shade.

Location for holly

It is very common to find the potted holly, which is why many believe that it is a houseplant, false impression also fueled by the habit of using the christmas holly as one more decoration inside the house. The reality is that this is a markedly outdoor plant, which needs a natural cold breeze to develop properly. Holly needs cold, a slight draft and indirect light, so it is not difficult to realize that it will hardly be able to survive well inside our homes. Therefore, if you place a potted holly indoors, it will last a short time in good condition and it will end up dying, especially if you have it near a heat source.

The best thing then is to have the holly in the garden, find it a location of semi-shade or shade, in an area not too sheltered.

Holly watering

As with many shade plants, the holly plant needs a good humidity index. It is necessary to maintain a constant watering and frequent that never let the earth dry out completely, especially in summer. If we try to keep the plant indoors due to greater need, it is very important to regularly spray its leaves with water.

We also recommend keeping these tips on when to water your plants in mind.

Holly pruning

In cold months it is necessary to carry out holly pruning, that is, between autumn and winter. Y how to prune holly? The most important part is to eliminate the branches that get in the way or grow in the wrong directions, as well as clean the plant of branches or leaves that are damaged or in poor condition. In addition, we can take advantage of this to give the tree a formation pruning, designed so that it does not grow more than we want or that it takes a shape that we like more.

Holly transplant

This tree has very demanding and delicate roots in terms of humidity levels, which is why it does not tolerate transplants well. However, it is likely that sooner or later we will need to transplant it, the moment we decide to do it is very important. Thus, when in doubt as to which month the holly trees are transplanted, it will be vital to do so when the tree is in a vegetative state, that is, the best time to transplant a holly It is during the cold months, in autumn and winter.

We recommend you read this other article about When and how to transplant a plant.

Why my holly does not bear fruit

It is possible that your holly is not in optimal condition, which will logically cause it to bear fewer fruits than usual or simply not at all. However, it may happen that you take care of your holly perfectly and, despite everything, it does not bear a single fruit. What is this about? It does not necessarily mean that your plant is affected by holly diseases.

Holly is a dioecious tree, which means there are male and female plants. Only female holly plants bear fruitSo if your holly is male it will never bear fruit no matter how well you take care of it.

How to decorate with holly for Christmas

There are many ways to use holly in Christmas decorations, although the best are those that do not go through mistreating the plant. You can use the remains of the annual pruning to make all kinds of Christmas decorations with them, such as:

Centerpieces with their leaves and other dried plants.
Garlands for wall or shelf.
A holly wreath on the front door.
If you only want holly to decorate your home, we recommend using artificial imitations to use for many years, which are equally decorative, or placing the pot as close to a window as possible and away from heat sources, so that some of the cold from out through the windows.

Apart from Christmas holly, here you can learn more about typical Christmas flowers and plants. In addition, we encourage you to learn more Ideas to decorate at Christmas, apart from using parts of this plant so typical of this time.