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| Ilex x 'Emily Brunner' |
We don't often think of gardening and decorating the house together until it comes to the Christmas season. Then all of a sudden, we can't wait to fill the house with the aromatic smells of a freshly cut tree, to blanket the doorways with garland and mistletoe, and to cover the mantel with greenery loaded with red berries. But unless you want to just go out and buy all these trappings, you must make a little advance planning and planting in your garden. Now is the perfect time for planning what you might want next year, and actually the perfect time for planting most anything that is woody.
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| Cryptomeria japonica 'Yoshino' |
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| Cupressus glabra 'Limelight' |
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| Cupressus glabra 'Silver Smoke' |
Let me just recommend a few wonderful plants for your garden that make above average Christmas decoration cuts. First, for cut greens, you can't beat Cryptomerias- excellent green color and loads of cool looking cones. For other colors, try the Cupressus glabras 'Limelight' for deep yellows to 'Silver Smoke' for silvery blues.
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| Ilex latifolia |
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| Ilex vomitoria |
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| Ilex vomitoria 'Saratoga Gold' |
The hollies are an easy choice, or maybe I should say that there are so many hollies it is really hard to choose sometimes. I love Ilex latifolia- Lusterleaf Holly. The leaves are big and luscious, and the berries are clustered all around the stems. This is a large holly, but excellent for shady areas. Another great choice for shady areas is Ilex vomitoria- Yaupon Holly. The southeastern native comes in many sizes and shapes, but many people do not know that it also comes in a range of berry colors. The species has translucent bright red berries,
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| Ilex vomitoria 'Virginia Dare' |
Ilex vomitoria 'Virginia Dare' has luscious orange berries, and 'Saratoga Gold' berries are bright yellow.
Now is the time to check out unusual plants that you can have in your garden AND as decorations in you house this time next year!
