Native Plants

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Thursday - May 22, 2014

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation, Shrubs
Title: Propagation of possumhaw from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I planted a possumhaw holly plant about 3 months ago and am really excited to watch it grow from its current 3-foot height. It is starting to berry right now. My question is about those berries: (Clearly, it's a female plant.) Do I need to have a male plant close by for it to produce those striking berries which stay on all winter? If so, where could I even get one as the male (non-fruiting) plants are hard to find? Thank you!

ANSWER:

This is a truly tricky question that Nature has given us. Here are three previous questions from Mr. Smarty Plants that address the subject:

From Georgetown TX

From Victoria TX

From Plano TX

All three of these questions make good points, but you will have to insist on getting what you want from a nursery, or hope there are male Ilex decidua (Possumhaw) in the neighborhood.

From the Image Gallery

Possumhaw
Ilex decidua