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The Holly and the Ivy
Written By: Jeannie Chambers - The Accidental Gardener | Issue: 2016/12 - December
Holly and Ivy have been used in Christmas decorations in churches since the 1400’s. Holly was called “Christ’s thorns” because of the sharp edges, and the red berries represented the drops of blood shed by Jesus.
Henry VIII wrote a love song “Green Groweth the Holly.” The Holly represented a love that never changes (well, in his case, maybe the love didn’t change, but his lovers were certainly deciduous).
Holly comes in the form of trees, shrubs, and climbers, and they are as old as the hills — the ancient ones, the ones over 50 million years old according to the fossil record. Holly’s Latin name Ilex means evergreen oak, probably named because of the shape of the leaf. The leaves and berries can be toxic and even fatal if digested by people or animals, at the very least will cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Ivy (Hedera Helix) is a common and invasive plant, but it can be beautiful. In our day and time, nothing says neglect like ivy covered walls, trees, and homes, but in some parts of the world, ivy was meant to cover exterior walls to help cool in the summer and provide extra insulation in the winter. Aha! Global warming, as in no air conditioning? No worries. Cover your homes with ivy — we’ll find you somehow underneath all the greenery. What? Oh, probably not very good for homes with wood siding. If your home is your castle, and your castle is made of stone, then, and only then, is it acceptable for ivy to cover your home.
Ivy produces a very small flower in late summer/early fall that is full of nectar; important for bees and insects since many other flowers are dying off at that time. Ivy also produces a small berry, which ripens in late winter — poisonous to humans, but good food for some birds. Medicinally, ivy extract was once used for coughs and bronchitis. People with allergic reactions to ivy may also have sensitivity to carrots as they contain the same allergen, falcarinol.
No wonder Holly and Ivy are so beautiful in arrangements, they both belong to an elite group of greenery that performs well inside or outside your home in dish gardens or houseplants. If you decide to use Ivy in your landscape, please remember the old adage: “The first year it sleeps. The second year it creeps. The third year it leaps.”
