Oakland Holly Tree for our 2018 Christmas Tree

Bought from Blairs an Oakland Holly in a 10 gallon pot to serve as our first Christmas Tree at the farm. It is from the Southern Living Plant Collection and is to maintain its “pyramid Growth”. She had it on sale for $58 that was $22 less than a 6′ Christmas. What a deal. The label says:

• 15-20 ft high and 12-15′ wide.
• Hardy to -10 to 0 degrees for Zones 6-9.
• red berries in late winter;
• growth is moderate to fast;
• medium water;
• pruning “just before first flush”; and
• fertilize yearly in the spring.
• Botanical Name – Ilex hybrid ‘Magland’ (PP4,417)

“The story of the Oakland Holly Tree is an interesting one. There are many species of holly trees and this tree has three parents. Its first two parents were the Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta), a very sturdy holly with good drought resistance, and another Chinese holly, the rare Ilex perneyi. The resulting seedlings were then hybridized with a holly widely grown in Japan, called Ilex latifolia. From this mix of tough species grew a tough tree called the oak leaf holly.”

“All this work was done by a nurseryman called Jack Magee, from Poplaville, Mississippi, during the 1970’s and 80’s. Then one day in 1989 he noticed a branch growing on one of his oak leaf hollies that looked different. He grew it into a plant and found that this plant was more compact and better-formed than its parent, with shorter spaces between the leaves and a denser appearance. In 2002 he patented this plant as the Oakland Holly Tree. Our stock is derived directly from that original tree, so you get the exact features that make this tree so special, and that you will not find on any other holly tree.”

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