HOLLY SOCIETY JOURNAL VOLUME 28 NUMBER 2 2010 Holly Arboreta 2009 Annual Reports .......................................................3 Arboretum Bokrijk ............................................................................3 Arboretum des Près des Culands Conservatoire National D’Ilex ......4 Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest ........................................5 Blue Ridge Community College........................................................ 6 Callaway Gardens ..............................................................................6 Chollipo Arboretum ...........................................................................7 Clark-Landsbaum Deming Park Holly Arboretum ...........................9 The Dawes Arboretum .....................................................................10 Denver Botanic Gardens ..................................................................13 Ebersole Holly Collection ................................................................13 Missouri Botanical Gardens ............................................................15 The Morris Arboretum .....................................................................15 Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park ................................16 The Polly Hill Arboretum ................................................................18 The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College .................................19 Tyler Arboretum ..............................................................................21 University of Tennessee Arboretum ................................................23 U.S. National Arboretum .................................................................25 Washington Park Arboretum ...........................................................26 International Ilex Cultivar Registrations ................................................27 Michael R. Pontti Treasurer’s Report, March 31, 2010 .......................................................34 Dennis Superczynski Holly Society Journal Volume 28 - 2010 Index ......................................35 HSA Annual Meeting Sites .....................................................................36 Ilex (cornuta × pernyi) ‘Sais’ with Wirt Thompson. About 1994, he discovered, selected and introduced ‘Sais’ as a mutation (sport) at his Upper Bank Nursery in Media, Pennsylvania. Photo by Andrew Bun- ting. HOLLY ARBORETA 2009 ANNUAL REPORTS Holly Society Official Holly Arboreta and Experimental Test Centers are public or semipublic institutions that educate plant lovers in the use of holly in the landscape and comply with HSA guidelines. These institu- tions maintain properly labeled holly collections and accurate accession records that include valid name, source, date and size (or age) when re- ceived, location, and other relevant information. Official Arboreta and Test Centers must submit annual reports to the Society in order to stay active. These reports include pertinent weather data, additions or dele- tions to the collection, notes on holly performance, and general informa- tion on holly collections and projects involving them. Test Centers must also report the status of ongoing research involving holly. Following are the Official Holly Arboreta and Experimental Test Center reports for 2009. Inventory lists for some arboreta may be found on the HSA web- site, http://www.hollysocam.org. ARBORETUM BOKRIJK 3600 Genk (Limburg) Belgium (Hardiness Zone 7b) As mentioned last year, we had a very severe, cold winter. It began the last week of December 2008, and the coldest days lasted until 10 January 2009. The lowest temperature was –21.5 °C (–6.7 °F). It was the most severe winter in our region since 1986. Needless to say, we had a lot of damage. We lost all our Ilex mitis from South Africa. They were killed to the ground and did not resprout. Also, our I. kingiana, a group of eighteen plants more than four meters high, were killed, as were a group of thirty I. canariensis. All the above mentioned species were of wild collected origin. Our I. cornuta cultivars had a lot of damage, but most of them re- covered. I. purpurea lost most of their leaves, but by the end of the sea- son they had new leaves and looked quite healthy. Smaller plants of I. integra were killed, especially those of Japanese origin. Our larger plants of I. integra (of Korean origin), planted below a cover of sixty year old Pinus sylvestris, suffered only minor leaf damage. We also lost I. formo- sana and all our cultivars of I. vomitoria. The hardiest form of the I. vomitoria that we have is ‘Virginia Dare’, which was severely damaged but not killed to the ground. The winter was too severe for Ilex (Sp 98FAB18), collected by Frank Bell in Yunnan China. VOL. 28 (2), 2010 HOLLY SOCIETY JOURNAL 3 We have no new additions. We have a lot of work to do with all the damaged plants, and it was not only the hollies but most of our Camellia collection was also severely damaged. We thought that our climate was changing to a more favorable, sub- tropical one, but that will be in the future, if we believe the climate watchers of today! After a very cold winter we had a very dry summer, so that was another problem. I can say that the year 2009 was a horrible year for the gardener. We had a surprise, but, unfortunately, not in the Ilex world: our Mag- nolia conifera var. chingii (the former Manglietia) had no damage at all. Jef Van Meulder, Curator, Plant Collections ARBORETUM DES PRÈS DES CULANDS CONSERVATOIRE NATIONAL D’ILEX La Nivelle- 45130 Meung Sur Loire, France (Hardiness Zone7) February 2009 was cold, with temperatures ranging from –10 °C (14 °F) to –15 ºC (5 ºF). Spring was mild, and summer was dry, but became hu- mid toward the end. Autumn was mild, which permitted a good fruit set in the hollies. It was the first year that we had so much fruit on these shrubs and trees. December was cold and snowy, reaching –10 ºC (14 ºF). We did not acquire any new hollies in 2009. Ilex decidua ‘Winter Red’ had very good growth this year, with beautiful shoots of 20 to 30 cm (7.8 to 11.7 inches) and good fruit pro- duction. The Arboretum has an area of 2 hectares (4.8 acres) open for visitors. It is maintained naturally without chemical treatment or chemical nutri- ents, to respect nature. We amend it yearly with a variety of leafy com- post or various long-lasting barks that we apply in March. We mulch the soil regularly to maintain moisture, inhibit weeds and to add humus. As we cannot attend the Annual Meeting each year, we would be happy to receive new Ilex (we would assume the expense), or to be in- formed of cutting producers who could trade with France. 4 HOLLY SOCIETY JOURNAL VOL. 28 (2), 2010 Following is the performance of some of the hollies that we have in the Arboretum : I. crenata ‘Sky Pencil’: Grows very slowly I. × koehneana ‘Lassie’: Good growth I. × koehneana ‘Ajax’: Very fruitful and holds fruit a long time I. × attenuata ‘Sunny Foster’: Very appealing with colored foliage Pierre Paris, Conservateur BERNHEIM ARBORETUM AND RESEARCH FOREST Clermont, KY (USDA Hardiness Zone 6a) Our region’s roller coaster weather has yet again preempted our intended plans for the 2009 growing season. Kentucky, as well as many other states, experienced the worst ice storm in its history. Although Bern- heim’s gates are typically open 363 days of the year, the late January storm kept them closed for nearly a week, giving the staff an opportunity to remove hazards before visitors returned. Preliminary cleanup of the arboretum lasted well through May, but extensive corrective pruning will be ongoing for many years. The remainder of the year was mild, with over 50 inches (1.27 m) of rainfall and summer temperatures averaging around 85 °F (29.4 °C). Fruit production on most of the hollies was moderate, possibly due to extended periods of moisture, but it made for a colorful fall enjoyed by visitors and staff. The Ilex opaca collection did not suffer major damage from the ice; however there were many broken tops and leaders that are still being removed. Most of the breaks have led to suckering around the damaged areas, and it will be challenging to retrain these specimens to a central leader while letting them grow as naturally as possible. We were not as fortunate with most of our I. × meserveae collection, which was crushed by ice-laden Virginia pines. These hollies were very old and fragile. Most were removed due to extensive damage. This col- lection also contained many of the original holly collection plantings. There were many deaccessions for the year including: I. glabra ‘Ni- gra’ and ‘Woodlander’s Compact’; I. × meserveae ‘Mesdob’ China Boy®, ‘Mesog’ China Girl® (2), ‘Mesid’ Blue Maid® (2), ‘Mesgolg’ Golden Girl™ (2), ‘Mesan’ Blue Stallion®, ‘Honey Maid’, ‘Blue Boy’, ‘Blue Girl’ (3), Blue Prince™ (2), Blue Princess™ (2), and Blue Angel™ (4); and I. × aquipernyi ‘San Jose’ (2). VOL. 28 (2), 2010 HOLLY SOCIETY JOURNAL 5 New accessions for the year included: I. verticillata ‘Maryland Beauty’ (5), ‘Southern Gentleman’ (5), and ‘Red Sprite’; I. ‘Conin’ Rob- in™; and I. ‘Magland’ Oakland™. There are many opportunities throughout the year to enjoy Bern- heim’s hollies and other collections. This year we offered guided tours of the hollies, wreath making classes, and twilight walks through the mean- dering paths during the holiday season. As interest and demand for Ilex grows, Bernheim will continue to evaluate and disseminate interesting and superior cultivars while furthering education, awareness, and