General Chat

Lots of berries on holly this winter, -but not on male trees. Can I plant berries and get a tree to grow, which will eventually bear berries? Do I need a male tree nearby? If so, How do you grow a male tree?

No idea Trish, other than I believe a male tree will not have berries.

Trish, I was wondering the same question. June xx

Holly is very versatile and can be grown as a bushy shrub or small specimen tree. Its dense, slow-growing habit makes it suitable for topiary training and it's also used as a windbreak and burglar deterrent. The colour of the berries varies from red to scarlet, black and yellow, but unless you have a self-pollinating variety, you need to plant both male and female plants. Ask for details of the sex of the plant before purchasing at a garden centre. (cultivar names are not always a good guide to their sex eg. Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Queen' is a male plant while Ilex altaclerensis 'Golden King' is female.) Plants that require a pollinator Ilex aquifolium, common holly Ilex aquifolium 'Handsworth New Silver' (female) Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Queen' (male) Ilex altaclerensis, vigorous and frost-hardy species of evergreen plants. These plants have good resistance to pollution. Ilex x altaclerensis 'Golden King' (female) Ilex aquifolium 'Ferox'. If you're looking for a quirky unusual variety try this, - it has spines on the leaf surface. Ilex x altaclerensis 'Wilsonii' is a vigorous, female tree producing scarlet berries when pollinated, with a dense upright growth habit. This upright tree will reach a height of 8m (25ft). The young branches are greenish-purple, producing glossy, spiney leaves. Ilex opaca Self-fertile species include: Ilex aquifolium 'J.C. van Tol', grows to about 4.6m,15ft, produces red berries and is one of the less prickly varieties. The variety 'Golden van Tol' has attractive golden-edged leaves and the young branches are purple, making it an attractive decoration for christmas. Ilex aquifolium 'Pyramdalis' is a self-fertile female and therefore does not require a pollinator). Growing tips Plant hollies in late winter or early spring. Buy plants young as mature plants do not like being transplanted. Ilex can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers a well-drained soil. It grows with sun or shade, but variegated foliage varieties will be better in the sun or semi shade. They are low maintenance plants - prune in late spring to maintain their shape. Trees respond well to hard pruning or even pollarding. Except for one or two self-fertile varieties, plant both male and female plants to ensure berries appear on the female plant. Prune out any green-leaved branches on variegated species. Problem solver If few or no berries produced: It's probably because the plant is male. Alternatively it could be a female plant that hasn't been pollinated by a male plant. Another reason for a poor show of berries is because cold winds and wet periods during flowering can deter insects from pollinating the plants. Occasionally, hollies may suffer from root rot, phytophthora. If so, remove the plant, burn it and disinfect the soil.

Just been Googling and found this So, how do you tell the difference between male and female hollies? You have to wait until spring, when they are in bloom. The flowers produced on male trees appear in groups of three or more and those on female trees are borne singly. The flowers are distinctive, as well. If you look into the center of the female flower you will see an ovary-like, pistillate in the interior of the flower. The male flower is staminate, meaning that there is no round, ovary-like component to the flower, only stamens that emerge from the flower center. Trish please keep it. Like Marly says, you need both apparently and your tree might be 'looking after' several female trees in your area. Warm spring is best apparently for a later crop of berries as more insects are about, flitting from male to female tree.

Wow thanks Bob. What alot of information. I have a large holly tree outside our weekend caravan and wondered if I could plant some of the berries. There must be a male tree in the vicinity I suppose, as there are so many berries. Perhaps it wouldn't mind 'serving' a few more young trees. I've nothing to lose so will give it a go.

I reckon ours is assexual! I cheat in flower arrangement with red berries from another shrub. At least on hazel you can recognise the male and female bits. Why, by the way, does our neighbour's blackthorn, smothered with blossom in spring, blight our garden for the rest of the year, provide us with no sloes, but..... leave one of its triffid offspring on our side of the fence? B

I googled - big mistake to put "sex of Holly" - lot of very non-horticultural sites came up! But I've been beaten to it. I have a non-berry holly bush in my back garden which I think is "golden king". I shall observe it closely in spring. nell