GARDENING: You can deck the halls all winter

There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be decking your halls with boughs of holly this and every Christmas...especially if you have Nellie R. Stevens holly in your garden.

Nellie R. Stevens Holly (Illex X ‘Nellie R. Stevens’) is a hybrid holly that exhibits what is known as hybrid vigor. It is a cross between two species of holly that has resulted in the best of both parents in a plant that is both beautiful and vigorous.

Nellie R. Stevens is a large, evergreen holly that grows about 6-10 feet wide and 10-15 feet tall. It has dark green, glossy, classic looking holly leaves without the prickly points that some hollies poke you with. The leaves are almost two inches long and about 3/4 wide. It also bears a beautiful crop of, once again, classic red berries perfect for holiday decorating. Berries are about 1/4 inch diameter and occur in clusters on current season’s growth. Even if you don’t bring holly into the house they will provide beautiful decor for your winter garden and for the winter birds to feed on.

Nellie R. Stevens Holly is quite versatile in the garden. It’s evergreen nature makes it extremely useful in the winter garden by providing a dark, rich green color punctuated with the perfect complementary red berries. It will grow in full sun or shade. Once it is established it exhibits good heat and drought tolerance.

Nellie R. Stevens Holly has a formal pyramidal shape while young so it is perfect for more formal landscapes or where an accent plant or plants are needed. As they age the formal shape begins to soften and round out.

Use Nellie R. Stevens as a stand alone specimen tree by leaving or slowly removing the lower branches to reveal a trunk as it grows. It can also be used in mass as a visual screen or as a sound barrier. Shrubs can be left to grow natural which will provide a rich wall of green that lends a woodland-type garden or they can be sheared into a hedge. In addition to the leafy green, a sweep of Nellies can provide a dark green backdrop that will cause the flowers of roses, perennials and the form of other plants to showcase in the garden. Nellie R. Stevens can also be used as a corner shrub to soften the corners of large homes or buildings. If need be, the height can be controlled at 5-6 feet with annual pruning in February.

Plant Nellie R. Stevens by digging a hole the depth of the root ball in the container. The width of the hole should be dug several feet wider than the container. Fact is, you can loosen the soil several feet out to encourage quick, lateral root growth and plant establishment. The sides of the hole can be gradually sloped up rather than squared off. Try preparing the planting hole for trees and shrubs with a small tiller to loosen the soil for good root growth. Plant at the first root flare, so the plant isn’t planted too deep.

There’s nothing wrong with planting right now if you can find good quality plants. Soil temperatures are still conducive to root growth and development. Be sure to apply a four inch layer of mulch and follow with a good, thorough watering. Water once or twice a week for several weeks and then go to once a week watering to encourage good root growth. Stick your finger in the original root ball to get an idea of whether it needs to be watered or not. Avoid over watering which will cause yellowing, blackening and leaf drop. If the wet conditions continue they will eventually die.

Perfect plant? No, but real close. Consider Nellie R. Stevens for the Christmas season and every other season of the year.