Garden answers

WITH the festive season fast approaching, holly seems like the perfect plant to feature this month — Ilex aquilfolium or an Cuileann is our native Irish holly and is the one we are all familiar with having seen it used as a Christmas decoration since we were children.

There are, however, hundreds of species of holly that come in all sizes, from spreading dwarf varieties to tall pyramidal ones. Holly, with its brilliant berries and glossy, often spiky leaves is one of the most care free of all plants. It will grow almost anywhere, tolerating pollution and strong winds. It can be grown as a tree, a shrub, or as hedging to give year round interest.