Wholesale Growers to the Trade and Retail Sales to the Public
Heartwood Nursery News: Past Issues
Every month, our e-newsletter shares what’s in bloom at the nursery, tips on choosing and growing native species, upcoming events, special offers, and more.
2024:
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October: Download
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September: The busy buzz – Take a look at our thriving pollinator meadow, once a hayfield, and learn about Pawpaws, Asimina triloba, a native fruit that makes an excellent addition to many ecosystems and is resurging in popularity. Download
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August: Easing into Autumn – Native species that are excellent food sources for birds, natives that tolerate juglone and can grow under black walnut trees, and much more. Download
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July: Joys of July – Drought-resistant native plants, our softwood propagation process, and more. Download
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June: It’s Serviceberry Festival Time! – Includes recommendations for native shrubs and tips on summer planting based on customer questions. Download
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May: Our First E-Newsletter! – With tips on growing hollies and the traditional practice of hedging. Download
Podcast: Tips to Grow Strong, Beautiful Hollies
Heartwood owner Sue Hunter is President of the Holly Society of America. In this 2024 podcast with Washington Gardner, she discusses tips for growing Hollies in the Mid-Atlantic region, including care, pollination, planting, and new selections for wholesale and retail.
Common Questions: Choosing and Growing Plants
Why don’t my hollies get berries?
Hollies are dioecious, which means that flowers are borne on separate male and female plants. Providing there is a compatible male in the area to pollinate your female, they will produce berries. Hollies are species specific when it comes to pollination. This means they do not cross pollinate with other species of hollies outside. For example, a male Ilex opaca holly is needed to pollinate a female Ilex opaca. Winterberries are early, mid, and late season flowering so females need the corresponding blooming time male winterberry to produce berries. We sell compatible male hollies for all of our female hollies.
Why are the leaves on my hollies turning yellow in the springtime?
As the new growth on evergreen hollies emerge in April, the inner leaves turn yellow and shed. As deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall, hollies shed their leaves in the spring. This is a naturally occurring process and does not mean that your holly is dying.