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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A very berry holly

Don't think I've ever seen a holly with so many berries on it. This is Ilex 'Dr. Kassab,' a hybrid, at Morris Arboretum, which is know for its many varieties of holly and the Holly Slope that showcases them. This one is for all the folks out there who have a thing about hollies. Not a good thing. Hollies are often thought of as boring, so 1950s, and it's true, they can be quite undistinguished in the landscape ... out of control, too huge, berries dwarfed by all else. But here's a true beauty, one that Tony Aiello, Morris' director horticulture and curator, says is loaded up like this every year. It has a nice pyramid shape and soft, dark green leaves that show off the bright red of the berries. Billions of 'em.  
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About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
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