Re: Ilex opaca

Thanks for the background Auralie.
Kitty
neIN, Z5
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Aplfgcnys@aol.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2005 10:03 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Ilex opaca


> Marge and Kitty, there was a piece in Dig It! magazine last month about an
> interesting stand of I. opaca.  I can't access it for you, since there is
a
> new
> month's issue and I can't find a site for archives.  I excerpted it for my
> Horizon
> Line newsletter, so I will send on a bit of that:
>
> According to reporter Mary Jasch, the largest forest of Ilex opaca
(American
> Holly) on the East Coast is in the Gateway National Recreation Area on
Sandy
> Hook, the northernmost spit of land in New Jersey at the western entrance
to
> the New York Harbor with Staten Island to the east.  This seems an
improbable
> spot for a large stand of this plant that appears on New York Statebs
> Protected
> Plant List.  Credit for this phenomenon is given to the US Army!...
>   Lou Venuto, spokesman for the National Recreation Area, says bThe
> peninsula
> began being purchased by the Army in 1829.  Soon after, all 1600 acres
were
> in protected hands.  The Army was the first one to close it off and keep
> people
> out of the holly forest b itbs for the same reasons we have kept the
> beaches
> undeveloped. Early on it was just locals looking for wood.  They stopped
> that, and, later on, taking holly for Christmas decorations was restricted
to
> the
> officers.b
>    Protection is also provided for endangered species like piping plovers
and
> ospreys.
>   The trees, some of which are approaching 200 years old, only grow to
about
> 30 feet tall.  It is explained that they donbt get taller because they
are
> sheared off by salt-water-laden winds.  The parts of the trees behind the
> dunes
> are protected but the salt water kills the leaves at a higher level.
Also,
> the
> trees grow in an infertile sandy environment. Inland hollies in ideal
> situations may grow up to 70 feet.  With limited nutrients, these trees
only
> grow
> about an inch in 10 years b wouldnbt that qualify them as dwarf or
> miniature?
>
>
>
> In a message dated 02/20/2005 6:17:09 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> mtalt@hort.net writes:
> From: kmrsy@comcast.net
> >
> > Speaking of hollies....Has anyone grown Ilex opaca, american Holly
> north
> > of Zone 6? I'm supposed to find one for the display gardens, but
> we're
> > in Z5, and all my references say 6. anyone?
>
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