The 5 -Year Native Tree/Pot - Ilex Verticillata (Sight Unseen Buy) considerations. (HorseloverFat)

[HorseloverFat]

So my 11-dollar Ilex Vericillata which was, initially, supposed to be a nine-bark, arrived today...

Upon inspection, it is AT LEAST two.. but MOST LIKELY three specimens within the pot... but they each have a lil’ girth and low branching.. so I’m pleased for the price.

Just going to leave them be until early spring.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Looks like 3 cuttings rooted together. Does one of the 3 have zero berries? If yes, that one would be your male Ilex. Though most nurseries like charging you to get a male to go with your female. With hollies, normally if a female does not have a male, you will not get any fruit.

Holly does grow pretty fast.

 

[LittleDingus]

Looks like 3 cuttings rooted together. Does one of the 3 have zero berries? If yes, that one would be your male Ilex. Though most nurseries like charging you to get a male to go with your female. With hollies, normally if a female does not have a male, you will not get any fruit.

Holly does grow pretty fast.

I've seen it both ways. The nurseries seem to lean more towards male and female individuals. The big box stores seem to lean more towards a male planted with 1-2 females.

Since that one is labeled "winter red", I'd bet it's only the female. Hard to tell from the pictures, but I think I see berries on all three "trunks".

@HorseloverFat, you will want to verify. If all 3 have berries, you do not have a female and will not get fruit unless there is a male somewhere close by. One of my entries for this challenge is also verticullata "Winter Red". It will be fun to see the different approaches I did make sure to pick up a male. "Southern Gentleman" is the cultivar that best pollinates "Winter Red" Some of the other male cultivars finish blooming too early or start blooming too late and pair better with other female cultivars. "Southern Gentleman" is supposed to line up best with "Winter Red" and has a longer flowering season than most.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I've seen it both ways. The nurseries seem to lean more towards male and female individuals. The big box stores seem to lean more towards a male planted with 1-2 females.

Since that one is labeled "winter red", I'd bet it's only the female. Hard to tell from the pictures, but I think I see berries on all three "trunks".

@HorseloverFat, you will want to verify. If all 3 have berries, you do not have a female and will not get fruit unless there is a male somewhere close by. One of my entries for this challenge is also verticullata "Winter Red". It will be fun to see the different approaches I did make sure to pick up a male. "Southern Gentleman" is the cultivar that best pollinates "Winter Red" Some of the other male cultivars finish blooming too early or start blooming too late and pair better with other female cultivars. "Southern Gentleman" is supposed to line up best with "Winter Red" and has a longer flowering season than most.

Hehe!... yeeeah. They all have berries.

(And just noticed my typo in the thread title.... Suh-weet!)

 

[LittleDingus]

Hehe!... yeeeah. They all have berries.

Better to learn early

My local nursery didn't have any options...single male, single female variety only. I've since found this chart:

https://www.skh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Winterberry-pollination.pdf

in some form or another on a number of different nursery sites.

I was able to split my male into two plants. If we weren't so far apart, I'd be more than happy to give you one!

As it is, I don't trust my ability to mail plants That's partly why I have so damn many! I've got about 8 divisions of a phragmipedium that I would love to sell off. Each division is 3-4 times the size of the original division I originally paid $50 for. They clutter up my kitchen and keep growing more! I wanted 2-3 cork oaks. Bought 30 acorns...the smallest amount I could find at the time. 28 sprouted. I've since only lost 2. So I have 26 cork oak trees I am running out of room for. Same with a dozen or so other species! I really should learn about "acceptable losses" in shipping live plants and deal with it. Instead I obsess over shipping someone a plant that dies to the point of never shipping any of them

But, if you're desperate for a male verticullata and want to take a road trip someday...I could even meet you near Chicago. I have family there

 

[HorseloverFat]

Better to learn early

My local nursery didn't have any options...single male, single female variety only. I've since found this chart:

https://www.skh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Winterberry-pollination.pdf

in some form or another on a number of different nursery sites.

I was able to split my male into two plants. If we weren't so far apart, I'd be more than happy to give you one!

As it is, I don't trust my ability to mail plants That's partly why I have so damn many! I've got about 8 divisions of a phragmipedium that I would love to sell off. Each division is 3-4 times the size of the original division I originally paid $50 for. They clutter up my kitchen and keep growing more! I wanted 2-3 cork oaks. Bought 30 acorns...the smallest amount I could find at the time. 28 sprouted. I've since only lost 2. So I have 26 cork oak trees I am running out of room for. Same with a dozen or so other species! I really should learn about "acceptable losses" in shipping live plants and deal with it. Instead I obsess over shipping someone a plant that dies to the point of never shipping any of them

But, if you're desperate for a male verticullata and want to take a road trip someday...I could even meet you near Chicago. I have family there

MUCH APPRECIATED! I will definitely let you know if It comes to that... there’s a nursery in Sturgeon Bay that is open for another week.. I remember them having an abundance of slightly overpriced slightly aesthetically unbecoming () Ilex species.. perhaps I shall check there!
Thank you so much!

 

[LittleDingus]

MUCH APPRECIATED! I will definitely let you know if It comes to that... there’s a nursery in Sturgeon Bay that is open for another week.. I remember them having an abundance of slightly overpriced slightly aesthetically unbecoming () Ilex species.. perhaps I shall check there!
Thank you so much!

The other thing to consider is that unless you're planning a group planting, you don't need the male for a couple years yet. You could just sit back and see how things develop before spending anything on a male.

 

[Carol 83]

I've seen it both ways. The nurseries seem to lean more towards male and female individuals. The big box stores seem to lean more towards a male planted with 1-2 females.

Since that one is labeled "winter red", I'd bet it's only the female. Hard to tell from the pictures, but I think I see berries on all three "trunks".

@HorseloverFat, you will want to verify. If all 3 have berries, you do not have a female and will not get fruit unless there is a male somewhere close by. One of my entries for this challenge is also verticullata "Winter Red". It will be fun to see the different approaches I did make sure to pick up a male. "Southern Gentleman" is the cultivar that best pollinates "Winter Red" Some of the other male cultivars finish blooming too early or start blooming too late and pair better with other female cultivars. "Southern Gentleman" is supposed to line up best with "Winter Red" and has a longer flowering season than most.

Sounds like a dating site for trees. What if Winter Red is not enamored by the Southern Gentleman?

 

[HorseloverFat]

This was also featured in my Slumbering Nursery Stock- thread.. so apologies if you’ve seen this work...

It was the second-most horrible root-bound plant(s) I have ever encountered...

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

Well.. SOME of you know that I accidentally “cooked” an entire table this summer with hot, black metal.
These Ilex were ‘mongst those affected. While they have recovered.. they are far behind...

On this first specimen... the second trunk died off.. perhaps the griddle it was living on!

This second one is experiencing fast, radial root-growth.. so that seems nice.

 

[HorseloverFat]

End of season.. Looks like they finally recovered from being boiled from the roots by their care-giver.. I expect more from myself, and these trees, next year.

 

[HorseloverFat]

1 Perished..

Never truly bounced back from being cooked alive.



Hard prune on the remaining Ilex.