The Outside Story | Hollies offer more than holiday cheer

Native hollies offer more than holiday cheer

Few plants evoke winter holidays in the north more dependably than the Christmas holly (Ilex aquifolium). The plant’s handsome evergreen leaves and red berries have enjoyed a sacred place in European cultures, from the British Isles to the Mediterranean, since…

The Outside Story | Hollies offer more than holiday cheer

While Christmas holly originates across the Atlantic, our region has two native holly species of which to boast – and they do much more on the landscape than brighten homes and spirits at yuletide.