In this week's episode, we chat about B & B versus the benefits of Container-Grown trees that limit transplant shock. But sometimes B and B's are disguised as a container plant. A lesson I learned in a sad way.
Then tending to the outside holiday decorating turned the sadness into laughs and happy tears as we decorated Ellie's memorial tree – a replacement one as the Blue Spruce that served as a Christmas tree died.
We talk about the attributes of Ilex Opaca and the mystery of a 'Mary Holman' American Holly that became the replacement tree. But it, too, showed signs of severe decline and was at risk of dying. But TLC helped turn it around.
We wrap up with the lesson that there is beauty in imperfection.
Link to Related Stories:
Holiday Decoration Reflections
Needle Cast on Ellie's Memorial Tree
Ball and Burlap versus Potted Tree
Decorating with Leave Behinds (aka "Road Kill" - smile)
A story about Bill's Weeping Hemlock in Merry Christmas Memories
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I'd love to hear about your garden and nature stories. And your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in :^)
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Thank you for sharing the garden of life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
More about the Podcast and Column:
Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.
It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page
Ep 86 –The Revival of an American Holly
Sat, Dec 10, 2022 5:46PM • 10:43
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
tree, plant, decorating, mary, garden, roots, Holly, b&b, spruce, container, conical shape, grown, evergreens, broadleaf, leaves, holman, gardening, delights, mary stone, ask mary stone, garden dilemmas
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone
Mary Stone 00:00
Hello fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens, it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Mary Stone 00:26
Hello there, it's Mary Stone on the screen porch. We had a very heavy rain yesterday. And so I am recording in the afternoon because this morning, it was crazy. The sound of the racing broke, which is still racing. And it's a soothing sound. I hope you can hear it. And I hope you are feeling good today. This is a hectic time of year holiday time. And so it's important to take time to breathe and listen to the sounds of nature, the soothing sounds that help us so much.
Mary Stone 00:57
Thanks to those of you that reached back to me about last week's episode about ginkgo biloba. I guess many of you are aware about the history of the plant that has endured the most extreme conditions and dates back to the dinosaur days with roots of endurance. That brings me to this week's story about the importance of choosing plants with strong roots, which came up recently planting almost, I think was 67 or 62 new trees for a client nearby. We planted some screening of white pine and Norway spruce, and we bought them all grown in containers. So they go right into the ground and hit the ground running, spending the winter, getting their roots in order, they'll get settled in and the tree will just burst into life without very much trauma at all because they're not dug in the field which can cause some havoc, which is part of the story today. And it starts like this.
Mary Stone 01:53
Hello fellow listeners and readers. There's a difference between ball and burlap versus potted trees. And sometimes B and B's are disguised as a container plant. A lesson I learned a sad way but tending to the outside decorating over the weekend turned this sadness into laughs and happy tears. I started first hanging garland that unfurled to be only 20 feet rather than the customary 25 to cover the span of the footbridge over the pond, kind of like crackers sold in the same size box. But weighing less and costing more. I giggled, good thing I bought two lengths of the garland. Then came decorating Ellie's Memorial tree - a replacement one. Yes indeed. Sadly, our b&b Baby Blue Eyes spruce, which served as a Christmas tree died. When I sought out the tree. A criterion was container grown. It looks so at the nursery, but it proved to be a B&B put in a pot not evident until we planted it.
Mary Stone 02:56
So what's the difference between ball and burlap versus potted trees-- plants grown in the field called B&B for ball and burlap versus container trees, grown in a pot, cost about the same. Container plants weigh less as they are grown and lighter materials. Yes a convenience but I prefer them because the roots are intact, lessening the likelihood of transplant shock. B and B roots are cut when dug and so the plant must spend energy in root recovery. Taking up to a year. container grown, properly planted, don't miss a beat. Though it's true, they tend to dry out more quickly so be sure to buy them from a reputable source and keep the soil moist. Elli'es tree was initially diagnosed with needle cast, and I'll put a link in the show notes to that story. Killing primarily blue spruces from the bottom up. But when the top wilted in early August, the progression, if indeed a fungal disease, spiraled far faster than I've ever seen.
Mary Stone 04:00
Watching Ellie's tree die felt incredibly sad. It was about the anniversary of her passing I accept that it is gone. When we dug it up the roots were badly cut and criss crossed and very few fibrous roots. I felt better than my care was not the cause. Instead, likely a bad dig. Still, my heart felt heavy. So essentially it was a b&b in disguise because the burlap was tucked into the pot and it was not evident.
Mary Stone 04:30
Then came a mysterious draft email on my phone, a photo of a narrow conical shaped Holly, perhaps an American Holly taken at a garden center. I sent it to my go-to nursery men who confirmed it's an Ilex opaca looks like the photo was taken here. Ben said, do you still have it? Yes, I do. And so I had him put it on the load and it was transported here. So this was last fall that that new tree arrived.
Mary Stone 05:01
American Hollies, which is Ilex Opaca, are native evergreens. They're a-rated and deer resistance and thrive in full sun or part shade and zones five to nine. They prefer slightly acidic soil but tolerate clay. The upright pyramidal beauty makes the perfect Christmas tree. Though your female tree will need a male Holly nearby to pollinate. They grow slowly 15 to 30 feet and 10 to 20 feet wide. And the birds adore their orange-red berries as well as you. I smiled when the replacement arrived, the tag Mary Holman. A search to find out who the plant is named after proved unfruitful. But I like to think of it as Mary holding Ellie forever in my heart. Jolee was a cling-on by Curt's side as he finished the backyard fall cleanup, but she came running to the front as if on cue as I decorated Ellie's new tree. With wiggly enthusiasm, she greeted me, then quickly sat as if to say snag a photo, mom. With happy tears in my eyes, I did just that.
Mary Stone 06:06
So that was a story I shared with my local readers a year ago, and this past week's story included an update on Ellie's new memorial tree. This year as the spring unfolded, the spiky dark green leaves began to turn brown. Slowly but surely, they all did despite treating it with windproof and natural pine oil that protects broadleaf evergreens from winter burn --which is the drying from winter winds that can cause needles and broadleaf evergreen leaves to die back. A heavy heart imagining two memorial trees may face the same fate.
Mary Stone 06:45
But Mary Holman began returning to life after a dose of organic fertilizer and ensuring she stayed damp during the drought. First, a few leaves emerged on one branch. Then as the summer unfolded, more joined them. I let the brown leaves drop on their own, thinking perhaps they were protecting the new buds as they formed in the thick of the heat. And I kept the naked stems intact, hoping new shoots would sprout. And they did. The recovery was a joy to watch. Though the plant was not beautiful through it. The Miracle unfolding was.
Mary Stone 07:22
To prepare her for this year's decorations, I pruned the remaining naked branches, no longer pliable. With the red and white star topper in place, I marvel over her revival. Although lopsided, she's still magnificent. And she'll even out over time. Or maybe not. There's beauty in imperfection, isn't there? Besides, is there such a thing as perfection anyway? I don't really think so. I think there's a lot of beauty when things aren't quite how you expect them to be. That's one of the magical things about nature and how it does some unusual things that we've always spoken about.
Mary Stone 08:04
I have a beautiful photo of the American Holly last year taken after a snowstorm when it was still adorned with all the decorations. The star on top was a bit cockeyed, adding charm to the conical shape. So again, perfection is overrated. The photograph of that beautiful, crooked star atop my beloved Mary Holden Holly is in the column. And, of course, there'll be a link in the show notes.
After decorating the restored Holly, I moved on to my tradition of putting a very large, glassy Christmas ball on the weeping Hemlock that I planted in honor of my brother Bill. It's hard to believe that was nine years ago. It's at the end of a rock garden next to a swath of graceful Hakone Grass (Hakonachloa). Now in it's beautiful, dry Golden State of glory. The next morning, after the deep freeze, the tree was totally frosted, and the Christmas ball glistened in the morning light. It brought me such happiness.
Mary Stone 09:07
So, I would love to hear about your traditions of outdoor decorating. You can email me at Ask Mary Stone at gmail.com. There's another tradition I have - Decorating with Roadkill. We spoke about that way back in episode 8 of the podcast. I hope I've piqued your curiosity. It sounds grimmer than it really is. Not to break the story, but it's using leave-behinds on the side of the road that just fall on their own and making them into something beautiful.
Mary Stone 09:39
Anyway, thanks so much for coming by; I always look forward to our time together, and I hope you have as well, and if so, please share the podcast with a friend or two so more can join us. It means so much. And don't forget to take time for yourself and relax and walk amongst the trees and relish the beauty of the season. Whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year, we all look forward to the new year of growth that's coming upon us, but at the same time, enjoy the now. Thanks so much. Have a great day.
Mary Stone 10:13
You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.