During the holidays, it is satisfying to be able to pick a vase of holly with bright red berries to decorate our homes. It is also a welcome gift to present to neighbors and friends.
I recommend planting either Meserve holly or American holly, both of which grow well in our zone 6. Though, since hollies like acid soil, they do need to be fed annually with an acid plant food. The best location for red berry production is full sun.
The Meserve holly is one of the best evergreen hollies for showy red berries, which attract robins, bluebirds, catbirds, and mockingbirds. In zones 5-8, these hollies can grow 8-12 feet tall, in a rounded shape. Plant one of the male hybrid plants for every three to five female plants. Avoid south- or west-facing exposures. They do not have sharp thorns and they make good hedges as well as specimen plants.
American holly is an evergreen tree which grows 25 feet high and is as wide. For best berries, plant one male for every two to three females, spray with an insecticide in the spring. All hollies grow easily from cuttings, though growth can be slow, so buying a few small trees is a quicker method of gratification.
This is Moya Andrews, and today we focused on evergreen hollies.
