"Lynda Thornton" wrote in message
...
Hi

I bought a holly bush/small tree the other day from a plant sale but the
tag had no writing on it as the tree had been in a pot for about 5 years
and the seller couldn't identify what kind it was! It's about 4ft high
but quite sparsely branched with small numbers of non-prickly green
unvariegated leaves (there is the odd prickly leaf as well actually!)
and it has quite a lot of orangey-red berries bunched in clusters right
under the leaves which all seem to be near the end of the branches.


Sounds like Ilex JC van Tol

Check out: http://www.esveld.nl/htmldia/i/ilajct.htm for a piccie

pk

In article , PaulK
writes

"Lynda Thornton" wrote in message
...
Hi

I bought a holly bush/small tree the other day from a plant sale but the
tag had no writing on it as the tree had been in a pot for about 5 years
and the seller couldn't identify what kind it was! It's about 4ft high
but quite sparsely branched with small numbers of non-prickly green
unvariegated leaves (there is the odd prickly leaf as well actually!)
and it has quite a lot of orangey-red berries bunched in clusters right
under the leaves which all seem to be near the end of the branches.


Sounds like Ilex JC van Tol

Check out: http://www.esveld.nl/htmldia/i/ilajct.htm for a piccie

pk


Hi Paul

Thanks for that - yes it does look pretty similar, although my specimen
is paler green and much sparser with the leaves and branches! I am
hoping it might fill out a bit when planted, and maybe the leaves will
darken then?

I just found this info on www.angliangardener.co.uk:

Ilex J.C. van tol - Holly. T/ S There are a great many varieties of
holly available, but unfortunately none of them do exactly what we
require from a holly on their own. i.e. be reliably covered in bright
red berries at Christmas. Most hollies are monoecious, a plant is either
male or female but not both (unlike most plants) and therefore you need
at least two to get the berries. Of these two, one will be male and so
have no berries. J.C. van tol however is reliably self-fertile and the
closest to a perfect holly that we have, the draw-back - or not
depending on how you see it - is that the leaves are smooth without the
traditional spikes. To 20ft tall by 12ft wide, like all hollies, fairly
slow growing.

So it might be self-fertile, how brilliant! I just hope it doesn't put
on a huge growth spurt

Lynda

In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
It's about 4ft high
but quite sparsely branched with small numbers of non-prickly green
unvariegated leaves


The most common non spiny holly is J C van Toll which can make a bit of
a sad tree with sparse branches etc. However it is self fertile!

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Janet Tweedy
writes
In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
It's about 4ft high
but quite sparsely branched with small numbers of non-prickly green
unvariegated leaves


The most common non spiny holly is J C van Toll which can make a bit of
a sad tree with sparse branches etc. However it is self fertile!

Hi Janet

Yes, someone else suggested this and I think that's what it is. It is a
bit sparse but I think 6 years in a pot didn't help it! It's planted in
the soil now and there's been plenty of rain so I'm hoping it will make
some kind of recovery and bush up a bit.

Lynda

In article , Lynda Thornton
writes

Yes, someone else suggested this and I think that's what it is. It is a
bit sparse but I think 6 years in a pot didn't help it! It's planted in
the soil now and there's been plenty of rain so I'm hoping it will make
some kind of recovery and bush up a bit.

Lynda



Ha! That's what I thought, mine's now 20 foot high and still spindly in
fact the branches hang down as they are so long and er, spindly.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk