We receive this question every year, and yes, you may use the holly berries for seasonal decorations from your holly tree/living fence. Prune or clip out the pieces of branch you need that contain the holly leaves and red berries. Where each clip was made to retrieve the decorative holly berries, new leaf buds will form, and in the spring, new growth will emerge from these buds. Most evergreens cannot re-foliate along the stem, but the hollies can. There are numerous “How To” videos on YouTube for making holiday decorations, such as holly wreaths.
Are Holly Berries Toxic?
Like its holiday companion, the mistletoe, a holly’s berries are toxic to humans, resulting in nausea and severe stomachaches when ingested, but not so for some animals. The berries are poisonous. However, the green leaves have been used as herbal remedies for centuries for conditions like dizziness, fever, and hypertension. Although, there is little medical proof of the plant’s effectiveness. Holly berries are an important food source for birds, such as thrushes and blackbirds. The birds help scatter the seeds for germination.
Nellie Stevens, Foster, Blue Princess, American, Dragon Lady, Dr. Kassab, and San Jose are all cultivars of upright hollies in our metro area. They can be lightly pruned for use in holiday decorations and not harm the trees. This past spring of 2016, we had a few 28-degree F nights in late April during the holly flowering stage, which stopped or limited the berry production on many holly trees. It did not harm the trees and vegetative or leaf production was profuse in May and early June. Warmer micro habitats inside the D.C. & Baltimore beltways experienced normal holly berry production in 2016.
So enjoy making your holiday wreath decorations with the holly branches and berries. Just don’t eat the berries. Happy Holidays!
Yes, this is me, Wade Pryor, the Plant Wizard at Pryor’s Nursery!
About the Author: Wade Pryor is a professional botanist and the founder of Pryor’s Nursery . Since 1981, he has installed over 82,000 evergreen trees, specializing in “Living Fence” privacy screens across the Mid-Atlantic region. Learn more about Wade’s expertise here.
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