Holly is one of the most decorative shrubs that can be planted in the garden. It is suitable for shady locations and has evergreen leaves. Learn more about holly cultivation, its reproduction and diseases. This information will ensure your success in the cultivation of holly, which will repay you with beautiful red fruits, which are a perfect decoration for Christmas.
Barbed Holly - Ilex aquifolium
Hollynaturally occurs in western, central and southern Europe, as well as in northern Africa, where it grows as a tall shrub or tree that grows up to 15 m in height.It does not occur naturally here, it is only planted in gardens as an ornamental shrub that grows up to a maximum of 3 m in height. Its main asset is its leaves. They last all year round, have a dark green color, the edges of the leaves are wavy and spiny. The flowers are small, whitish and give off a pleasant fragrance. Holly bushes bloom from May to June. The fruits are red and spherical. They appear in September and are kept on the plant until spring (provided that no birds, e.g. waxwings, eat them).
Note! Holly fruits appear only on female specimens. It is worth remembering this when purchasing these plants. Among the female shrubs it is worth planting at least one male to ensure abundant fruiting.
Holly - cultivation and care
The best time to plant a holly is in spring or early fall.Hollyprefers fresh and fertile soil. Like boxwood, evergreen is one of the best shade-bearing deciduous shrubs.She is good at clipping and shaping, which is best done in the middle of summer. If it has enough water, it tolerates all air pollution well. When cultivating holly, you should not allow the root ball to dry out.
The shrub should be protected from cold winds before winter. SpeciesMeservy Holly(Ilex x meserveae) is moderately hardy to frost. On the other hand,barbed holly(Ilex aquifolium) is sensitive to frost, so it should be grown in warm and well-sheltered places, preferably under the undergrowth of larger trees. Cover each holly tightly in winter.
Note! Choose a place for the holly well, as this plant does not tolerate transplanting.
Propagation of holly
Hollyis best propagated by half-woody cuttings with a heel. The date of such reproduction is the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. Such a seedling should be approx. 15-20 cm. length.Remove the lower 2-4 leaves from it, leave the rest. We immerse the prepared seedling in the rooting agent. We only dive the base of the seedling. Then we transfer the seedling to a pot with a substrate. It would be best if it was evenly mixed with garden peat and sand.
Move the pots with the seedlings to a slightly shaded, warm place. For winter, they should be moved to a cool room, sheltered from frost. A temperature of 5-7 ° C is best. By spring of the following year, the seedlings should be ready to be planted permanently.
Propagating holly from seedsis not recommended as it takes an extremely long time. Seeds sown for inspection usually take about 2 years to germinate at all. It is also worth subjecting the seeds to scarification, i.e. damaging the top layer of the seed, which should facilitate germination. However, if we get seedlings, they will need at least another year in the pot to strengthen a little before we can plant them permanently.We should also remember that only species can be propagated from seeds. The obtained seedlings of garden varieties may not retain the characteristics of the mother plants.
Holly - diseases and pests
Hollyunfortunately is not completely resistant to diseases and pests. They are mainly threatened by:
Greenhouse adhesives - it is a pest of the scots, considered to be the most dangerous pest of holly. Foraging, it inhibits the growth of shrubs and reduces their decorative value, contaminating the leaves with honey dew, which is quickly covered with fungi and numerous white egg bags. The white larvae of the pest should be looked for on the underside of the leaves. The pest is best de alt with in the period from November to February by spraying with paraffin oil (ordinary liquid paraffin available at a pharmacy, diluted with water in the amount of 20 ml of paraffin per liter of water) or with a horticultural preparation based on this oil, eg Promanal 60 EC. This type of treatment is relatively harmless to the environment and does not endanger useful insects, it is recommended for home and allotment gardens.If it is necessary to control the larvae during the feeding period, a contact preparation such as Karate Zeon 050 CS should be applied after spotting the larvae on the underside of the leaves.
Leaf miners - these are insects (flies) whose larvae gnaw at the flesh from the center of the leaf, between the skins. Air gets into these places. The result is gray stains on the leaves that look like twisted corridors. Leaf mining pests can be combated with the above mentioned preparation Karate Zeon 050 CS, although usually they are not present in such numbers that it is necessary.
Mushrooms - causeholly diseasesif there is too much moisture, fungi cause root rot. They can also attack the leaves, especially in wet springs, causing the appearance of brown and black spots on the leaves. The leaves turn yellow and fall off. In the fight against leaf spot, fungicides such as Dithane NeoTec 75 WG, Score 250 EC, Topsin M 500 SC will help. The first spraying is done as soon as symptoms of the disease are noticed.Repeat it after 10 - 14 days, preferably using a different fungicide than the first time.
Excessive sun exposure - also makes the holly sick, among others. causes leaf burn, yellowing and dropping. In this case, the plant should be given more shade. If it is necessary to replant it, it should be done very carefully, as the holly does not tolerate transplanting well.
Katarzyma Matuszak
