Holly Bears the Crown

Caleb Leech
October 16, 2014

Planting holly at The Cloisters
When planted in the fall, trees are spared the hot, desiccating summer months and excessive weed competition. And tree roots will continue to grow through fall and winter, though much less actively than in spring and summer. It is also helpful to mulch fall plantings generously to protect the developing roots. Photograph by Christina Alphonso

«The gardens are abuzz with activity as autumn settles upon us, and sporadic blazes of fall color across the Hudson River herald the season. To some, the onset of cooler temperatures is cause for despair. Others welcome the respite from hot summer days. What many of us share in common, though, is a renewed awareness of the natural world. It is a poignant time.»

As a shower of cherry blossoms marks the ephemeral nature of spring, so does the senescing foliage signal the end of an active gardening season. Every day, we head out to the gardens to sweep and rake the fallen leaves and cut back fading perennials. While such tasks are often associated with the season, autumn is also a great time for planting trees. We just planted a small grove of holly trees on either side of a main entrance that during the holiday season is adorned with holly boughs.

Holly trees at The Cloisters
Our holly trees (Ilex x aquipernyi) are hybrids of the traditional English holly. We plan to shear them each year to maintain a full, fastigiate form. We also hand-selected plants with defined central leaders in order to coax as much height out of them as possible. Photograph by Caleb Leech

English holly (Ilex aquifolium) was an important species in medieval Europe, believed to be vested with the power to ward off evil influences or bad luck (see "The Holly and the Ivy" [December 18, 2008] on The Medieval Garden Enclosed). We welcome this attribute to our front gates.

Caleb Leech

Caleb Leech is the managing horticulturist at The Met Cloisters.