Holly and the Ivy Evergreen

Two of our very few native evergreens, holly and ivy, are as
seasonally synonymous as Christmas and pudding. For our forebears, these were
plants that mysteriously denied the seeming extinction of nature
during winter's icy grip and, to this day, we retain the ancient
custom of decking the house with these evergreen plants to subdue sprites and goblins
over the festive season.

Our only evergreen liana, Ivy's capacity to climb depends on its
ability to produce adventitious roots along its new shoots. These
function primarily as, very tenacious, anchors but have little or
no capacity to penetrate surfaces and absorb moisture and
nutrients. Tales of ivy parasitizing trees or destroying buildings
by renting them asunder with their "roots" are based on
misunderstanding. Anyone who has severed the top of an ancient ivy
from its terrestrial roots and watched it slowly brown and die is
witness to its dependence on having its feet firmly in the ground!
Any destructiveness is based on, firstly, the structural condition
of its host and, secondly, the sheer mass of foliage generated by a
mature plant. If a tree is structurally unsound the additional
stress generated by the weight of the ivy can be the proverbial
straw that breaks its back and even healthy trees can be toppled by
the sail-like drag of a full head of the stuff. Equally, old walls
can subside under its pressure and flaky mortar be dislodged by its
movement or the vigour of its removal by a zealous gardener.

Dorian Grey
Like humans ivy manifests its transition from fresh faced youth to
hoary old age by altering its appearance and pattern of behaviour.
In its prolonged juvenile stage it is a vigorous creeper and
climber with multi-lobed leaves arranged in one plane which forms a
dense mosaic. In maturity, it stops climbing and produces bushy,
upright growth clad in unlobed leaves arranged spirally around
stems that flower and fruit in late autumn. It's this growth which
tends to cause the problems so management is essential. Make it a
New Year Resolution and once a year, generally
in early spring as they come into growth, prune ivies back to their
allotted spaces. We mercilessly shear them back to their bare stems
to keep them in juvenile mode and removes all of last year's tired
looking foliage and guarantees a mat of fresh, glossy growth for
the summer.

Ivy is just as happy to creep horizontally as vertically and
will grow in deep, dry shade. Under the crowns of heavily shading
evergreens like yew, its glossy green foliage reflects the heavily
dappled light and produces a unifying and strangely soothing effect
unachievable with virtually anything else.

A Jolly Holly Christmas
Holly is a large genus of over 400 species distributed throughout
the world. Our native species, Ilex aquifolium, has generated enough cultivars and
varieties to keep most "Ilexophiles" happy. In the wild it can be
found as a shade tolerant, woodland under-storey tree made spindly
by lack of light. Equally, it may grow as a single, densely
foliaged hedgerow or field specimen. In the garden it makes a
marvellous and impenetrable hedge but you do need patience. Holly
is one of those annoying plants that seems to self-sow everywhere
but which sits and sulks for years when you plant it. Plant in May
or September, when the roots are active, and even then it's a good
idea to reduce the crown by up to one half. Tolerant of most
conditions it will thrive best on a moist, well-drained soil and in
full sun, particularly important for the numerous variegated
varieties or for any attempts at topiary. Like yew or box it will
regenerate if cut hard back to the main framework branches or
trunk, and so rejuvenation of straggly old specimens is
feasible.

As most holly is either male or female you will disappointed
unless your tree has a companion to mate with! Either rely on
friendly neighbours or specify a "couple" (not necessarily of the
same variety) when ordering. Although anything other than crimson
berries feels wrong at this season, I.aquifolium Bacciflava,
Pyrimidalis Fructu Luteo and Amber all have distinctive yellow
berries and smooth leaves, whilst I. crenata has black. Foliage
offers even more variation ranging from the male and fiercely
prickly Hedgehog holly, I.aquifolium Ferox, through to the silkily
smooth and shiny I. x altaclarensis Camellifolia, the bright golden
variegation of I. x altaclarensis "Lawsoniana" and the daintiness
of I. crenata.

But whether it is berry or leaf the holly and the ivy aren't
just for Christmas, they're for life.