Question of the Week
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Why didn't my possumhaw holly get berries this year?
Thanks to Liz Clark for this great question! She has a young possumhaw holly (Ilex decidua) that didn't produce any berries last year and lost all of its leaves over the winter. Well, there is some very good news: Possumhaw hollies are deciduous, so it did naturally lose its leaves. But, it may have been slow to put on its new leaves this year because of our cold 2011 winter.
Lack of berries could be that it's very young. The possumhaw is a dioecious plant, meaning that there are male and female flowers on separate plants. So, does Liz need a male plant to pollinate her female plant? Well, yes and no. Of course, a male plant would be required to pollinate your female plant and have berries but there's most likely enough male plants out in your neighborhood and even farther beyond to pollinate your plants so you don't need to plant a male plant especially. You do need to give this plant some time and you will have berries for all the birds in the neighborhood!
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