skip to main content

Ilex aquifolium (European Holly)

16 years ago

Hello!

I've recently transplanted a well established Holly bush/shrub. I made sure it had a large ball root and kept all tap-roots intact. Planted it in its new home with some fertilizer and compost mixed with soil. However, it has recently begun deteriorating, the leaves have gone a very dark shade of green and begun falling off, the berries are all dead and it looks a complete mess :-( I've checked (by scraping away a small patch of bark) and the branches are all looking healthy and alive...

Is it too late to save my poor little friend? All suggestions welcome!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

flora_uk
16 years ago
Holly is massively tough, Kier. I had one blown right over in a gale a few years ago. It was propped up in a corner out of the ground for at least two months then stuck back in and trimmed to a lollipop shape. No problem. It is thriving. Just give it plenty of water if you get a drought in the next couple of months and trim it as much as you like. I have another one which has a trunk about 6 inches diameter. It was way too big so I just cut it straight off at about 4 feet and now it is also a lollipop. Sounds horrendous, I know, but this is in a tiny semi-formal back garden where a twenty foot holly that didn't even get berries was a waste of space and source of gloom.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
Hollies are known to drop their leaves in transplant shock. Since we don't know anything about your location, this could be the case with yours. Patience is the remedy, as long as proper planting techniques were followed. New growth is likely to replace the old before too long.

In the future, fertilization is not recommended upon transplanting. Be careful not to water too much! The soil system must contain plenty of oxygen in order for new roots to be created. Don't let excess watering displace all of the oxygen in the soil.

Good luck!
Related Discussions
Ilex aquifolium seed
Q
Comments (4)
Do you have a bird you could enlist to help? Passed through the digestive system of a bird, the seeds have much of their germination inhibitors removed ;) I know it works, I pull a lot of holly seedlings from my beds and the nearest fruiting trees are a block away. You could try this: (Clothiers) wash seed 3 times daily 14 days, then sow @ 72F for slow germination. (up to 18 months) I don't know what climate you are in, but I might suspect that fluctuating temperatures may help, as in what would be found outdoors, not only the seasons, but drops at night from daytime warmth. If you are someplace though where pots might be frozen at some point for weeks at a time, it could delay the process until temperatures are not quite so cold.
...See More
Ilex x 'Scepter' -- anyone growing this?
Q
Comments (19)
Couple things worth bumping this for: The new URL to see 24h min temperature is this: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?&zoom=12&center=39.46879995920132,-76.18812561035156&basemap=OpenStreetMap&boundaries=true,false&hazard=true&hazard_type=hi-all&hazard_opacity=60&obs=true&obs_type=weather&elements=temp,wind,gust&obs_popup=false&obs_density=10 Although you still have to use the controls at left to set that as the criteria; unlike the old one the controls don't seem to generate a new URL for every data request. (may depend on browser) You can of course bookmark a different URL with coordinates closer to your area. And...last week I swung by McLean Nursery on the way to a Dr.'s appointment. Mr. Kuhl was in the middle of operating his old farm tractor but we spoke for a couple minutes...I was in a hurry anyhow. He said his 'Scepter' was undamaged, and that the reason mine was so injured might have been not being well established. I know his part of Baltimore had similar lows to mine, and has to be pretty windy as well since it's on a hill. (the nursery is on Satyr Hill Rd. after all)
...See More
Ilex Aquifolium / Ilex Opaca cross pollination?
Q
Comments (3)
Many Ilex can hybridize, but only if they overlap in bloom time and if there are pollinating insects present to transfer the pollen (or humanoids). So - see when each of your species of hollies come into bloom, and see whether you have a shot at some interesting seedlings. Otherwise, get the late Fred Galle's fine tome Hollies: The Genus Ilex for more than you can possibly understand about everything holly. BTW: The annual meeting of the Holly Society of America is coming up on October 22-25, 2009 at Martha's Vineyard, MA. Be there or be square.
...See More
Ilex x meserveae taxonomy
Q
Comments (1)
I got an answer in the Shrubs Forum. Thanks, wendyb! I had seen so many contradictions that I thought maybe there was something I was missing. Ilex x meserveae is a nothospecies name containing only crosses (and backcrosses) between I. rugosa and I. aquifolium. Cultivars with any other parentage, like Ilex 'Mesdob' (aka China Boy), are not members of Ilex x meserveae. Sources like The Holly Society of America, The Morton Arboretum, Bernheim Arboretum, The University of Illinois, UConn, Monrovia, and hundreds of nurseries (at least in some of their documents) have it wrong. Here is a link that might be useful: http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1696.pdf
...See More
flora_uk
16 years ago
Kier is in the UK according his/her page, so holly will grow happily for him/her more or less wherever s/he lives. They are bone hardy natives which will take a lot of punishment. As for planting techniques dig a hole and stamp it in. You are unlikely to be able to overwater it. Just give it a couple of gallons once a week for a few weeks and then leave it be. Fertiliser is unlikely ever to be necessary unless it's in a container.
conifers
16 years ago
Holly will lose it's leaves as a cutting but refoliate after it roots. I think you'll be fine and agree with the very first statement that they are massively tough.

Dax

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES 9 Holly and Ivy Plants for Good Tidings in the Garden

Spread Christmas joy all year round with the gorgeous foliage and bright berries of these evergreen plants

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Sambucus Nigra

By Curtis Adams

Common elderberry is a highly adaptable shrub from the eastern U.S., with berries galore for wildlife and humans alike

FALL AND THANKSGIVING 5 Container Gardens for Fall, the Holidays and Beyond

Make planting easy with a single container, year-round plants and a sprinkling of simple seasonal accents

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Deer-Resistant Elegant Evergreen Shrubs to Plant This Fall

Who knew that such beautiful shrubs could be deer-resistant?

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Rockin’ Red Plants for Winter Gardens

By Paintbox Garden

Use the bright berries or branches of these cold-climate favorites for outdoor garden interest or container arrangements anywhere

LANDSCAPE DESIGN The 7 Best Plant Types for Creating Privacy and How to Use Them

By Falon Mihalic

Follow these tips for using different kinds of plants as living privacy screens

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 7 Ways to Create Quiet in Urban Gardens

By Falon Mihalic

Keep your garden peaceful with these ideas for planting and material choices

GARDENING GUIDES Monochromatic Garden Magic Done 7 Ways

Discover intriguing ways to use color in your garden by unlocking the secrets of monochromatic design

GARDENING GUIDES These Hedges Can Add Interest to Your Winter Garden

Evergreen trees and shrubs provide structure and color in the winter months — and can attract wildlife too

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Native Shrubs for Year-Round Bird Feeding

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It’s not just about berries. These plants provide insects for birds and seasonal interest for gardeners

Sponsored

Columbus Premier Design-Build and General Contractor

More Discussions

winter red winterberry

6

Pruning/cutting back newly planted shrubs?

1

Tell me about leucothoes please

9

Rubus idaeus or wineberry?

13

Buddleia hardiness

5