How to Grow Holly Trees and Bushes to Deck the Halls

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Updated on October 14, 2022
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by Adobestock/Jeanne Emmel

Learn how to grow holly trees and bushes for income or decoration to add visual interest to any property.

“The mistletoe hung in the castle hall, / The holly branch shone on the old oak wall; / The baron’s retainers were blithe and gay / a-keeping a Christmas holiday.”

(Thomas H. Bayley)

The familiar glossy, spiked leaves and brilliant red berries of the holly are closely linked with our traditional Christmas celebration. Yet the use of holly, mistletoe, and other holiday evergreens actually originated in pagan rituals that date back long before the advent of Christianity. The druids of ancient Britain held the holly tree sacred and decorated their homes with it. The early Teutons hung sprigs of holly in their dwellings in hopes that the friendlier fairies of the forest might find refuge there from the winter’s chill. In Roman times, holly was used in the celebration of the Saturnalia, or “turning of the sun” festival honoring Saturn (the god of seedtime), which was held on the winter solstice. At that time of year, when the days were shortest, it was customary to send gifts accompanied by holly boughs to friends as signs of goodwill. Many of these customs were adopted by the early Christian church, and so became associated with the Christmas celebration.

Today, many folks realize holly trees and bushes are too beautiful to enjoy only once a year, and some have discovered that growing holly year-round can be an easy and profitable means of brightening up the home landscape. Hollies are magnificent as single trees, versatile ornamentals, and excellent in hedges and screens or as ground cover in the dwarf forms. The hollies serve an important function in environmental plantings too, since they’re extremely tolerant of air pollutants, act as excellent sound and light barriers, and attract birds and animals that feed on the fruits and leaves. What’s more, many species of hollies can earn their keep! If you time the shrubs’ annual pruning to coincide with the Christmas season, even small plantings of holly can supply you with a handsome holiday cash crop (or, at least, free decorations) of trimmed greens and berried boughs.

Types of Hollies

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