American holly is the familiar Christmas holly with glossy green, spiny leaves, and bright red berries. Native to the bottomlands and swampy margin areas of the eastern and central U.S., this tree forms a pyramidal shape and can grow to notable size in the wild.

With shiny evergreen leaves and bright red berries, holly trees are a naturally festive decoration seen throughout the Christmas season. They’re famously sharp. Hollies, like other plants, can make different types of leaves at the same time. This is called heterophylly.

Traditionally, the Holly tree is highly sacred in Celtic mythology and symbolises peace and goodwill. Due to its resistance to lightning, it is associated with the Celtic and Norse gods of thunder, Taranis and Thor, and so was planted near dwellings to protect people from lightning strikes.

Do All Holly Bushes Have Berries? No, all holly bushes do not have berries. Hollies are dioecious, meaning that they need male and female plants in order to produce seeds, which are what berries are. So only female holly bushes will have the red berries.

From its waxy, pointy green leaves to its signature bright-red berries, the cheerful, festive holly bush is often associated with Christmas. But the popular plant is just as gorgeous at other times of the year, creating a lush, dense backdrop with a pop of color.

holly, (genus Ilex), genus of some 600 species of shrubs and trees in the family Aquifoliaceae, distributed nearly worldwide. Several species are cultivated as ornamentals for their distinctive foliage and red or black fruits, which persist into winter and are popular Christmas decorations.

You can maintain the height by pruning back the leader (main shoot) each year in late winter or early spring. (Your current timing is fine.) You can even reduce the size by cutting back the leader to just above an existing branch lower on the tree.

The best way to determine the sex of holly plants is by examining the flowers, which are located between the leaf and branch joint. Although the small clusters of creamy white flowers are similar in appearance, males have more prominent stamens than females.

English holly shades out native trees and shrubs, and also sucks up water that native plants need. The plant also spreads as birds consume the berries and disperse the seeds. All of this is bad news for the forests and natural areas in our region that provide clean water and habitat.

Holly Oak Quercus ilex The holly oak is a tough evergreen tree as wide as it is tall with a dense rounded crown. It has smooth gray bark. The leaves are a leathery, glossy, dark green and vary in size and shape.

The flowers of this tree are heavily fragrant that bloom in the spring season and adopt a variety of shades like yellow, red and orange. The tree itself reaches an average height of 15-50 feet while the dark green leaves attain a length of 1-3 inches.

Chinese holly, also known as horned holly, is an evergreen shrub or small tree that can be planted as part of a drought-tolerant landscape. The name horned holly comes from the shape of the leaves. On the species plant, three of the spiny lobes stick up and look like horns. This is an excellent choice for a pruned privacy hedge.

Chinese holly, also known as horned holly, is an evergreen shrub or small tree that can be planted as part of a drought-tolerant landscape. The name horned holly comes from the shape of the leaves. On the species plant, three of the spiny lobes stick up and look like horns.