Most often hollies are sought after for holiday decorations. Santa might not come if some red berries aren’t on the mantle or gracing a table. Hollies hold their berries well after those table decorations have been tossed away.

In January or February, the bright colors enhance the landscape as bulbs emerge below them. They provide screens of green to block views or frame a portion of your garden. Birds enjoy the berries late into the season. A flock can strip all fruits from a tree in a day’s visit.

Red is the most common color of holly berries, which are actually drupes, or single-seeded fruits. However, the inkberry holly is named for the black-colored berries.

My favorite hollies have bright yellow berries. This is a very good year for the yellow-berries varieties in our area (Georgia.) Callaway Gardens is a prime spot to see them in the mass. The golf course and the Mountain Creek Inn are well landscaped with masses of mature trees to enjoy.

Bringing in a branch of yellow-berries holly and arranging it with white daisies makes you think of Easter, spring or anything cheerful. A centerpiece of this holly accented with lemons is stunning. Just placed in a vase by itself on the bathroom vanity, it makes a definite statement. It is surely a good project to track down some of these great additions to the landscape. It will extend the holidays far beyond fruitcake and mistletoe!

Written by Helen Phillips, manager of Rocky Branch Gardens in Hamilton, GA. For more information on gardening, visit Garden Notes.