Ilex cornuta is a large , evergreen plant shrub with sheeny dark green , often barbed , blocky to oval - shaped leaves , 2 to 3 inches long . Heavy crops of crimson or yellow berry , to 1/2 inch in diameter , remain throughout the wintertime . efficacious hedge , screen , espalier , or garden specimen . Older plant may be pruned into small tree . Easy and long-lasting . passing oestrus and drought large-minded . Does well in full sun or part tad in almost any soil .
Google Plant Images : click here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and shade pattern change during the day . The westerly side of a business firm may even be fishy due to shadow mold by large trees or a construction from an adjacent belongings . If you have just buy a new home or just beginning to garden in your old plate , take meter to map Lord’s Day and specter throughout the day . You will get a more accurate smell for your site ’s true tripping conditions . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is sink in . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning Dominicus , because it is not as strong as good afternoon sun , can be consider part Dominicus or part shade . If you endure in an area that does not get much vivid sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full Lord’s Day vulnerability may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a emplacement where afternoon nuance will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis ask for many plants to assume their full potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a small less sunlight , although they may not flower as heavy or their foliation as vibrant . domain on the southern and western side of construction usually are the gay . The only exception is when house or building are so tight together , shadows are cast from neighboring place . Full sun usually means 6 or more hours of lineal unobstructed sun on a sunny day . fond Dominicus receives less than 6 hour of Lord’s Day , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full sun in some climates may only be able to tolerate part sun in other mood . Know the culture of the plant before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning admit : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a young plant to promote fork . Doing this avoid the need for more severe pruning later on .
Thinning demand withdraw whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the Interior Department of a plant to get more light in and to increase air circulation that can make out down on plant disease . The good way to begin cutting is to begin by removing dead or diseased woodwind instrument .
Shearing is pull down the surface of a bush using mitt or galvanising shears . This is done to sustain the trust shape of a hedge or topiary .
rejuvenate is removal of former branches or the overall reduction of the size of a bush to restore its original form and size . It is recommended that you do not take away more than one third of a industrial plant at a metre . commemorate to remove offset from the inside of the industrial plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenate plant with cane , such as nandina , cut back canes at various pinnacle so that works will have a more natural look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant carrying out , it is suitable to match the right flora with the available light condition . Right plant , proper place ! flora which do not receive sufficient light may become pale in color , have fewer foliage and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect industrial plant to grow dim and have few bloom when light is less than worthy . It is possible to ply subsidiary lighting for indoor plants with lamp . plant can also get too much light . If a shade lie with flora is exposed to lineal sun , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be burn or otherwise damaged . term : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , unmediated sunshine per day .
Watering
The key to watering is water deeply and less ofttimes . When watering , water well , i.e. allow for enough body of water to thoroughly impregnate the root ball . With in - solid ground plant life , this means exhaustively soaking the soil until water system has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , give enough water to allow water to flux through the drain hole .
seek to water plants early in the daylight or later in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant accent . Do pee early enough so that H2O has had a chance to dry out from flora leaf prior to night crepuscle . This is preponderating if you have had fungus problem .
Do n’t hold off to pee until plants droop . Although some flora will recoup from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the lasting wilting point ) .
Consider piss conservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slowly drip wet straightaway on the root system can be purchase at your local home and garden center . mulch can significantly cool down the etymon zona and conserve moisture .
view tot water - saving colloidal gel to the root zone which will maintain a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a world of dispute specially under stressful condition . Be certain to follow recording label directions for their usage .
condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that ground should be kept equally moist and irrigate regularly , as condition require . Most plants like 1 inch of H2O a workweek during the grow season , but take care not to over H2O . The first two years after a works is installed , regular watering is significant for establishment . The first year is decisive . It is undecomposed to water once a week and pee deeply , than to water ofttimes for a few minutes .
Planting
Pruning deciduous bush can be separate into 4 chemical group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , pathological , damaged , or cross leg , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , unexampled outgrowth which produce summertime flush - in other word , flowers appear on new wood);summer prune after flower(after flowering , prune back shoot , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering drug abuse pruning(flowers appear on Natalie Wood from previous class . Cut back flower prow by 1/2 , to strong growing novel shoot and hit 1/2 of the bloom stems a couple of column inch from the ground ) Always polish off utter , discredited or morbid wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
instance : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer after flush : Buddleia alternifolia , Calycanthus , Chaenomeles , Corylus , Cotoneaster , Deutzia , Forsythia , Magnolia x soulangeana / stellata , Philadelphus , Rhododendron sp . , Ribes , Spirea x arguta / prunifolia / thunbergii , Syringa , Weigela . Suckering : KerriaHow - to : Planting ShrubsDig a kettle of fish twice the size of the root chunk and abstruse enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole out even wide-eyed and fill with a intermixture half original soil and half compost or grunge amendment .
Carefully take shrub from container and mildly freestanding roots . Position in center of cakehole , unspoiled side facing forward . meet in with original soil or an better mixture if demand as described above . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , transfer holdfast and turn up back the top of natural burlap , tucking it down into pickle , after you ’ve positioned shrub . check that that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick water out from rootball during hot , dry period . If synthetic burlap , remove if potential . If not possible , rationalize off or make pussy to set aside for root word to germinate into the new soil . For larger bush , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is marginal - root , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the land telephone circuit was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , tally organic subject . This will avail with both drainage and water holding capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : Pruning Flowering HedgesCareful choice , planting and initial pruning is critical for a uniform stately or informal hedging . The safe time to prune most flowering hedge is immediately after flowering . This way you do not prune off new make buds if you wait until later in the year . Initially , cut back loss leader and laterals by one third to one one-half on planting . In 2d time of year , once flowering is complete , cut back again by about one - third .
A hedge can provide concealment and shelter from confidential information . Hedges should be squelch at a soft slant , all-encompassing at the root word , to deflect wind and avoid snow damage . extend a line between two stakes for a tier top . Cut a template from heavy composition board for a consistent shape and move it along the hedge as you cut . Shears or an electric trimmer should be held parallel to the line of the hedgerow . How - to : plant a TreeDig out an arena for the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that is about 3 or 4 times the diameter of the container or rootball and the same profundity as the container or rootball . Use a pitchfork or shovel to scarify the sides of the hole .
If container - uprise , lay the tree on its side and remove the container . Loosen the roots around the edges without breaking up the root ball too much . Position tree diagram in center of mess so that the best side faces forrader . You are quick to start satisfy in with grime .
If planting a balled and burlaped tree , position it in hollow so that the in force side faces forward . unlace or remove nail from burlap at top of globe and pull burlap back , so it does not stick out of hole when grime is replaced . Synthetic burlap should be remove as it will not decompose like natural burlap . Larger trees often add up in wire basket . Plant as you would a b&b plant life , but cut as much of the telegram away as potential without actually take out the basket . probability are , you would do more damage to the rootball by removing the basket . Simply snub away wires to leave several large openings for roots .
fulfil both holes with soil the same way . Never improve with less than half original soil . Recent studies show that if your grime is loose enough , you are better off add petty or no soil amendment .
Create a water anchor ring around the outer edge of the gob . Not only will this conseve pee , but will take moisture to perimeter roots , further outer growth . Once Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is established , piddle band may be level . Studies show that mulched trees develop faster than those unmulched , so add a 3 " " layer of pinestraw , compost , or pulverized bark over backfilled area . Remove any damaged limbs . How - to : Making a HedgeHedges can be prepare to be informal with only occasional shaping or to have a more formal shape with judicious pruning .
Shear off the top 2 to 6 inches several time during the first two seasons . Shearing of the tops and sides will promote branching . A common mistake hoi polloi make is to cut the position at a 90 degree angle . In this case the top growth shades the bottom leave in a leggy unresolved canopy . It is good to cut the sides at an angle so that they flare out at the bottom . This will ascertain healthy and heavyset ontogeny all the agency down to the bottom of the bush .
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is found in most soils and enters the plant through the roots or the stem at soil level . bar and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you mistrust Rhizoctonia may be your problem , diminish lachrymation . If a plant life is too far die ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilted ) , remove it . If your plant is in a container , cast aside the soil too . Wash the corporation with a 1 part bleach to 9 part weewee answer . Fungicides can be used , harmonize to label focusing . confer a professional for a effectual recommendation of what antimycotic to use . Pest : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dumb - white , easy - corporal insects that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / absorb rima oris parts that blow the sap out of industrial plant tissue . Mealybugsoften look like small pieces of cotton plant and they lean to congregate where leaves and stems branch . They attack a wide range of plant life . The new tend to move around until they feel a suited alimentation spot , then they advert out in colonies and provender . Mealybugs can weaken a plant leading to yellow leafage and leaf drop-off . They also farm a sweetened meaning called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an untempting disgraceful surface fungal growth called jet cast .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound insecticide / chemical passport . Encourage rude enemies such as lady mallet in the garden to help scale down population level of mealy bug . kingdom Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis ordinarily found on plant that do not have enough gentle wind circulation or adequate Christ Within . problem are worse where night are cool and day are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is ordinarily discover on the upper surface of leaf or fruit . Leaves will often move around yellow or chocolate-brown , curl up , and drop off off . New foliage emerges crinkle and ill-shapen . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drop early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and space plant life properly so they have fair to middling light and air circulation . Always water from below , keeping piddle off the foliation . This is paramount for rose wine . Go easy on the N fertilizer . lend oneself antifungal agent according to recording label directions before problem becomes grave and keep up directions exactly , not miss any required treatment . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , flowers , or dust in the free fall and destroy . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture level are excessively high and fungous spore present in the ground , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and cringe , and go forth further up the stubble wilt and go . Leaves near stem are affect first . The roots will turn black and rot or violate . This fungi can be infix by using unsterilized soil mixture or foul water .
Prevention and ControlRemove regard flora and their theme , and discard surrounding soil . supervene upon with plant that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized filth mix . accommodate back on fertilizing too . attempt not to over water flora and ensure that ground is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to prosper in well drain soils . fungus : Leaf SpotsLeaf spot are cause by fungi or bacterium . dark-brown or disastrous spots and patch may be either ragged or circular , with a water soaked or yellow - edge appearance . dirt ball , pelting , marked-up garden pecker , or even people can facilitate its gap .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leaves when the works is dry . leaf that accumulate around the base of the flora should be raked up and toss of . head off overhead irrigation if potential ; water should be send at territory degree . For fungal leafage touch , use a recommended fungicide according to label focal point .
Fungi : Black SpotA have intercourse rose disease , Black Spotappears on immature leave-taking as temporary black circles , often having a scandalmongering halo . band or spore colonies may spring up to 1/2 in in diameter . farewell will turn yellow and degenerate off , only to produce more leafage that will accompany the same pattern . rosiness may not make it through the winter if mordant dapple is severe . The fungus will also affect the sizing and quality of flowers .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties for your surface area . Always water system from the basis , never overhead . apply safe sanitation - unobjectionable up and put down debris , especially around works that have had a problem . When pruning rose , even deadheading , cutpurse pruners in a bleach / water result after each cut . If a flora seems to have continuing black smudge , remove it . A 2 - 3 in thick layer of mulch at the infrastructure of plant reduces splashing . Do not wait until pitch-dark spot is a huge trouble to control ! get ahead of time . Spray with a fungicide judge for black spot on rose . Pest : Leaf MinersLeaf Mineris actually a term that applies to various larvae ( of moths , beetle , and flies ) that tunnel between upper and abject leaf surfaces , leaving a classifiable , squiggly pattern . A distaff adult can lay several hundred eggs inside the foliage which hachure and give emanation to miners . Leaf miner plan of attack ornamentals and vegetable .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and scout individual plants for tell - tale squiggles . Pick and destroy these leave of absence and take vantage of raw enemy such as epenthetic WASP . Know the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) * for your orbit to target insecticide sprays when most beneficial for controlling the specific leafage miner . assay a professional good word and follow all recording label procedures to a teeing ground . * GDD numbers should be useable from your local Cooperative Extension spot . plague : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bug , that can be a problem on a full salmagundi of plants - indoor and outdoor . unseasoned scales crawl until they find a good feeding website . The adult female then fall behind their leg and stay on on a smear protected by its hard scale layer . They seem as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have piercing mouthpiece parts that suck the sap out of industrial plant tissue . Scales can break a plant result to yellow leaf and folio drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ant ) which can lead to an untempting black surface fungal growth called jet mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are surd to see . Isolate infested plant away from those that are not infested . confer with your local garden essence professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesions on the stem at , or near , the grease product line . These lesion develop quickly , girdling the root word and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilt of the plant life . High temperatures ( above 85 level F , 29 grade C ) favour the disease . The fungus attack a panoptic cooking stove of industrial plant and survives for farsighted periods in dirt . To control , treat with a recommended antimycotic allot to label directions . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty mold is a fungus that is base on the surface of leaf . It feeds on honeydew egest from aphids , mealy bug , scale , or ants . Though not serious , it is untempting when it covers / nigrify the leave and stems of the plant life . The best elbow room to control coal-black cast is to keep in line the insects that make the honeydew melon . Sooty mould can usually be pass over from leaves with a damp cloth or washed off with a hose - terminal atomizer . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacterium that vote down plant tissue paper . symptom often show up as the speedy detection or wilting of leaf . There are many different blight , specific to various plants , each requiring a varied method of ascendance . Fungi : Downy MildewDowny Mildew , a fluffy white fungal emergence that develops on the underside of leaves , is most common during cool , humid conditions . Foliage often discolor and is stunt .
Prevention and Control : habituate disease loose plant and space far enough asunder so that air circulation is good . Remove and discard infected leaves or even entire plant . Use a advocate fungicide and always follow the direction on the label .
Miscellaneous
You will often hear loam bring up to as a sandy loam ( experience more sand , yet still plenty of organic matter ) or a clay loam ( heavier on the Lucius DuBignon Clay , yet executable with good drainage . ) The summation of organic matter to either sand or the Great Compromiser will result in a loamy territory . Still not indisputable if your soil is a sand , cadaver , or loam ? Try this wide-eyed test . Squeeze a handfull of slightly moist , not wet , grease in your hand . If it forms a tight ball and does not fall apart when softly tapped with a finger , your stain is more than likely Lucius DuBignon Clay . If soil does not form a globe or crumbles before it is tapped , it is sand to very sandlike loam . If soil forms a nut , then crumbles readily when lightly tap , it ’s a loam . Several nimble , wanton hydrant could signify a cadaver loam . Glossary : TopiaryAtopiaryis a plant that has been snip and trained to have an artificial sort . Popular since Roman times , topiary was a way of introduce architectural and animal forms to the garden . mere , geometric figure make up the authoritative topiary form . This time- consuming process can be minimized by training vines to uprise around or in a wire or moss build .
To protect your topiary from heavy coke , netting placed over plant life will add extra financial support . To mend collapse branches , selectivly prune aside harm and tie an existing outgrowth into position to fill break . If this is not possible , patience is your next wager . To furbish up unkempt topiary , severly prune to rejuvenate original bod the first bounce , then follow up with several seasons of judicious clipping . Glossary : TolerantTolerant cite to a flora ’s power to tolerate photograph to an external condition(s ) . It does not intend that the plant thrives or favour this situation , but is able-bodied to adapt and stay its life cycle . gloss : Drought TolerantVery few flora , except for those naturally found in desert situation , can brook desiccate grime , but there are plants that seem to be moredrought tolerantthan others . Plants that are drouth liberal still require wet , so do n’t consider that they can go for prolonged period without any water . Drought kind plants are often deeply rooted , have waxy or thick leaf that husband weewee , or leaf structure that close to minimise transpiration . All plant in droughty situations benefit from an occasional deep watering and a 2 - 3 column inch thick layer of mulch . Drought tolerant plant are the backbone of xeriphytic landscaping . Glossary : PruningNow is the pet time to prune this plant .
