American Holly

American Holly, Winterberry, or Ilex opaca, Is an evergreen tree that blooms white and gold flowers in the spring and red and orange berries in the winter.  These two blooms allow the gardener to enjoy the tree with its blooms twice a year, especially with the berries in the winter when there is little else blooming, however only the female trees produce these red berries, and it needs a male American Holly in order to pollinate it.  This is known as dioecious, which means that each tree has only 1 male or female flowers, and you will need one male and one female in order to pollinate the tree and receive the blooms. The winter blooming berries are why this plant received its name the Christmas holly since its berries are collected during Christmas and used for ornament decoration.  These berries also attract birds however humans should not consume these berries because they have a low severity of poison characteristics that would cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms for humans.  Typically, the evergreen leaves have little spikes on the edges and remain on the tree year-round when either the flowers or fruit come in.   It grows 15-30ft tall and 10-20ft wide when cultivated but 40-60ft tall in the wild.  It is great for privacy with its massive coverage with dense foliage all year long, however, do not place this tree near your house because it is highly flammable.  When given the space, it is good for a butterfly, pollinator, native, or children’s garden.   Planned out space for this massive tree is recommended as it will not fit in a small garden and should be far from the home.  It needs full sun with partial shade in the summer while in the winter it needs protection from the sun and cold winds. Medium amounts of water with well-drained soil is best.  It has a hardiness zone of 5-9 so it can grow in the milder and most hot gardens in the United States.  It is shipped in a 1-gallon container.