Holly - Ilex aquifolium

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Holly - Ilex aquifolium
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

Holly is a pyramidal, evergreen and slow-growing shrub or tree that is very hardy. The dark green leaves are glossy, thick, robust and spined. The spiny leaf type is usually found low down on the plant, where in the wild it is grazed by animals. Higher up the plant, where animals cannot reach, the leaves become smooth and oval. Bright red berries are produced in autumn, only on female trees, and are eaten by a variety of birds. To produce berries, there must be a male plant in the vicinity.

This holly species has been awarded the RHS's Award of Garden Merit. It is shade tolerant. It is suitable for use as a specimen tree or as a subject for topiary. This also makes a good hedging plant: it is pollution resistant, a good windbreak, the spiny leaves deter intruders, and the dense foliage provides good nesting sites for birds. The berries are greatly enjoyed by thrushes including the winter visitors redwing and fieldfare. Holly also plays a crucial part in the life cycle of the beautiful butterfly the holly blue, which lays eggs on holly leaves in spring and is a frequent visitor to gardens in town and country alike.

Old names for holly include 'Hulver' and 'Holme', both of which are widely preserved in English place names. The wood of holly is hard and compact, and a section taken from the centre of very old trees is a beautiful bright white colour. It will take a very high polish and was much used for decorative inlay on furniture. Straight holly branches are prized for the making of walking sticks, a small scale rural craft which is presently enjoying something of a come-back in tourist areas of England. It is claimed by breeders of rabbits that a holly stick placed in their hutches for the animals to gnaw acts as a tonic and can restore lost appetite.

In the past, the bark stripped from young shoots of holly was fermented to produce a very sticky substance called birdlime. This was spread on to tree branches to ensnare birds which were then either sold captive, or eaten. In those times, holly was apparently so abundant in the Lake District that birdlime was made from it in large quantities and shipped to the East Indies for catching and destroying insects. Sadly, birdliming continues to be practised in some countries.

Animals

Blackbird, Butterflies, Chaffinch, Collared dove, Fieldfare, Fox, Goldcrest, Holly blue, Honey bee, Mistle thrush, Privet hawk-moth, Redwing, Robin, Song thrush, Waxwing, Wood mouse, Woodpigeon, Yellow-necked mouse, Yellowhammer

Foliage	Green
Flower	White, May to August
Moisture	(Dry)
Sunlight	(Full sun to Part-shade)
Origin	Native