Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

Holly is a long lived tree that has left its mark in place names all over Britain. It had an important practical use in the past as it was fed to livestock in winter, which may have contributed to the belief that perseveres at least locally here that it is bad luck to cut it down. Its thorny deciduous leaves and its weak suckering tendency make it a good hedging plant for urban locations; it's well behaved and makes a great privacy or security hedge. There are male and female plants, although - confusingly - the female plants sometimes fail to fruit.

It's curious how holly is more or less spikey; apparently if browsed the leaves regrow with more prickles, to deter animals grazing. It was often pollarded in groves ("hollins") to provide late winter forage.

Mature specimens, sometimes over 200 years old, were often left in the countryside when hedges were grubbed out as marker or boundary trees. Long before its Christian symbolism holly was always seen as a powerful magical plant, with uses ascribed to it ranging from preventing ringworm to having power over horses - together with the pliability of its wood this made it the most popular wood for whips. Its very pale colour and propensity to take colour from staining also made it a favourite wood for furniture inlays.

You do come across areas of woodland where holly is the main plant in the understory, but it's rarely very dominant. It looks ovely in a mixed hedge too.

We are currently offering holly as nice 40-60cm plants grown in 9cm pots in multiples of 5. As with all our other native species plants, this holly is grown and originating in the UK. Both the growers currently supplying us are members of the Plant Healthy Scheme.

Holly suppliers: Oakover Trees, RV Roger