Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - January 12, 2010
From: Elkton , MD
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Transplants, Trees
Title: Transplanting Hollies in winter
Answered by: Anne Bossart
QUESTION:
I want to transplant, relocate holly trees in January. Is that ok, and what is the best holly for landscaping?ANSWER:
There is a saying in your part of the country that you can plant (or transplant) trees in any month that has the letter "r" in it's name. So January should be fine ... but aren't you buried in snow right now?
Fall is actually the best time to plant trees. The warm soil and cool air give the plant a chance to regenerate roots while the transpirational demands on the leaves are not too great. Winter dormancy then gives the tree a chance to get ready for the next growing season. Early spring is the next best ... again the tree has a chance to establish before meeting the demands of summer.
That being said, as long as the soil is workable, you can plant or transplant a tree. If the ground is not frozen and you take a handful of soil, and cannot squeeze water out of it, it is workable. So you will have to make the decision of whether it is ok in your garden, this January, or not.
You do not mention what type of holly "trees" you are hoping to move or how large they are. I suspect that since you refer to them as trees you are referring to Ilex opaca (American holly) which is evergreen and the plant most people think of when they use the term holly. I would advise against transplanting an evergreen at this time of year as, if the weather gets cold later in the winter when the sun is stronger, the roots will not be able to provide enough water to the leaves and they will suffer from winter burn. Also, the larger the tree, the greater the chance that it will not survive being transplanted.
There are other hollies that are native to your area which are great landscape plants. They are shrubs and very attractive for natural areas. Remember that all hollies are dioecious, which means that the male and female flower parts occur on two different plants, so if you want berries (on the female plants only) you must have a male plant (which will flower but not produce berries) within the flight distance of a pollinator.
We recommend:
Ilex verticillata (common winterberry) (which is deciduous and particularly attrtactive after its leaves have fallen)
More Transplants Questions
Transplanting aspens and Colorado blue spruce trees
August 18, 2009 - Please help me with info on transplanting aspen and blue spruce trees in Colorado. I live at 8600ft and have tons of deer. thx
view the full question and answer
Problems with Texas Ash and non-native Bradford Pear in Hutto TX
January 27, 2011 - We have planted two trees in our back yard. The first one(a Bradford Pear) died and the second one (a Texas ash) doesn't look like it's doing very well. Our back yard is mostly black clay about 1 f...
view the full question and answer
Moving Century plants in Norwalk CA
September 15, 2009 - I have two large Century plants that are each 10 1/2 years old. One is 4'x5' tall and wide with about 8-10 small shoots. The smaller in about 3 1/2'x 5' with about 6 shoots. They've grown too l...
view the full question and answer
Browning leaves on recently planted chinkapin oak in Rockwall TX
June 09, 2010 - I just planted a chinkapin oak that is about 1 1\2 inches thick last week and now some of the leaves are turning brown. Does that mean its dying? Do you have any tips that I could use to protect it?
view the full question and answer
Transplanting a Century Plant in Pennsylvania
July 08, 2008 - When is the best time to transplant a Century Plant?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |