Facts About Holly Trees
As you scan a list of holly tree facts, you may think that one of the most charming qualities of the American holly (Ilex opaca) is its diversity. The Flower Essence Society calls it a shrub with tree potential, though it's been known to reach 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide. The Arbor Day Foundation splits the difference by referring to it as both an evergreen and an ornamental tree. The shrub/tree that grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 9 may grow best on you for the folklore and legends attributed to it as well as its purported herbal and calming qualities.
It could take months to read everything you can get your hands on about holly tree facts, and you'd still probably only scratch the surface. You have to start somewhere, and this beguiling tree makes it easy to capture and keep your attention every step of the way.
Holly Tree Mythology
The first official observation of the American holly was made in 1744, and it apparently became a favorite of George Washington soon after. He planted – or directed others to plant for him – dozens of hollies at Mount Vernon.
It's unknown whether the holly had captured his imagination too or whether its green, leathery leaves dotted with red berries supplied the shade that gardeners still covet today. The leaves play a role in holly tree mythology, though some people might say it was a holly tree superstition to believe that if the tree's smooth leaves were used to decorate a home, then the woman “wore the pants” in the family. Men were presumed to be in charge if sharp, prickly leaves were on display. If a couple strove for domesticated bliss, they knew what to do: Decorate with both the smooth and prickly leaves.
Either way, the tree was long assumed to have magical powers, and people who hung holly in their homes were considered wise for providing a respite for sylvan spirits, according to My Farm Life. These spirits apparently showed their gratitude by bestowing good luck and good health on their hosts – a superstition that many people subscribe to up to this day and manifest by placing dwarf holly trees at their front doors.
The Calming Qualities of Holly Trees
Then again, the American holly's unflagging popularity could have something to do with its purported calming – and some people would also say medicinal – qualities. A traditional Christmas carol sets the tone: “The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown, of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly wears the crown.”
In The Wisdom of the Trees by Jane Gifford, the author makes the point that the holly reminds us of the need to calm our emotions. According to The Goddess Tree, holly serves as an aid to those consumed by such emotions as jealousy, hatred and suspicion.
The American holly also has more practical and medicinal applications. Crunching the leaves into a powdered state and brewing them in tea was thought to cure the measles, while the ashes were said to provide a salve for whooping cough. What about those duplicitous leaves? Along with the tree bark, they were used to reduce the pain of broken bones. Perhaps the most captivating belief about the American holly is the one that holds that the berries carry the power of fertility and that a young woman pining for a child could hurry nature's course by holding a handful of berries and saying an incantation.
Holly Tree Care May Surprise You
By now, you could be forgiven for assuming that a tree (or is it really a shrub?) teeming with such history and lore must be a handful to care for. Here again, the tree is full of surprises, for it is refreshingly low-maintenance.
It thrives when it soaks up full sunlight for at least six hours a day, says FastGrowingTrees.com, and it prefers moist but not soggy soil. Like many plants of its type, the American holly likes a good slow-release fertilizer about twice a year. You don't have to prune an American holly to keep it looking good – only if you want to alter its shape. The good news is that future growth should be fuller too.
Of course, this holly tree care plan assumes that you'll be keeping it around well beyond the holidays. Why not? As more than a shrub with tree potential, perhaps even George Washington knew that the American holly makes an outstanding conversation starter too.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><font style="font-size: 16pt">Mary honed her journalism skills in two of Chicago's scrappiest newsrooms: The Daily Herald and then the Chicago Sun-Times. She took this knowledge, combined it with her experience in running two marketing communication companies and now writes about communication, marketing, careers and other timely business topics for myriad national publications. </font> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><font style="font-size: 16pt"><br></font></p>