We feed the birds, and sometimes they give us gifts in return. But they dont know much about gardening! The planted a holly seed and it grew. Now it is about 2 inches tall and looks healthy. Under a miniature maple is not the ideal place. What time of year is the best time to transplant it? Any particular soil? Thanks all
My initial thoughts are 1. are you sure? They drop sharp leaves that take years to naturally rot away — and the tree itself ends up being sheared etc to control top height and sides 2. invasive — in our community, the local district parks department and various volunteers remove them (along with vinca, ivy and broom) from the forest trails on the coast Site Surveys Inform Ecological Restoration Plans - Invasive Species Council of British Columbia we recently cut down a volunteer ilex (Holly) and a woodworker artist was very happy to have the log wood for his shop. It is heavy dense wood.
Some other threads on here recently incl Also have leaves dropping off Holly Tree I remember at a diff house there was a volunteer Holly and it had black mold leaves on its shaded side for many years — so I am jaded! EDIT - toxic berries — a consideration if you have young people and or pets in your yard English Holly - Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
If the seedling asked about is in fact Ilex aquifolium (other kinds of holly are frequently planted for ornament in our region also) the significant nuisance aspect of this species here should be the dominant consideration.
Yes RonB is correct about initial identification my thought process had already leapt ahead to invasive typical here at coast BC perhaps the original poster can upload a photo or two with scale (centimetres / inches) of leaf
There is no better way to learn what the neighbourhood birds are eating than to observe what is germinating under the trees they sit in to digest their food. My holly tree (Ilex aquifolium) was a favourite. I finally took it down 2 years ago after a dozen years procrastinating even though I knew it was invasive. Seeing robins descend on it in late fall helped me rationalize my lack of action but when I was out walking in wild places, I couldn't help but notice so many holly trees growing. My guilty conscience got the better of me. One thing that has puzzled me since that 10-foot holly tree came down is the overwhelming number of seedlings that have been germinating since - not only under the vanquished tree but further away in the lawn and other garden beds. It's almost as if a message has been sent to the seeds - mother is gone; now it's up to you to carry on.
Ilex aquifolium and maybe hawthorn or Pyracantha (I've seen these but don't remember with certainty what they turn into). Which are a couple additional kinds that pop under local trees. Obviously ones where berry eating birds have been perching. With the typical ensemble being holly, firethorn, Oregon grape, cotoneaster, stranvaesia - anything cultivated or naturalized with some frequency and producing fruits that birds go for.
thank you for posting photos @anon125 Yes I say your Holly is an ilex aquifolium — I would pull it out if it was my garden i agree with RonB that the neighbor plant is either Hawthorne (berries are red; birds like them and spread them) or pyracantha (more berries) All of above large plants are the dread of my hired (and the spouse) garden helpers - thorns just being the beginning of their reluctance (it gets expensive ) BIRDS - if you are interested in a garden for small local birds, have a look at native elderberry … I can personally manage the plant in my own garden … it has red berries the birds love to eat and the dying twigs are favoured by the small woodpecker (downy?) It is not a focal point shrub —- put it in back of border where falling berries and autumn leaves do not matter and it is easy to manage with hand tools and then cut smaller for recycle in your urban green bin — and no thorns! have a look around here (grow me instead) Red Elderberry - Invasive Species Council of British Columbia PS - if you are on the east side of coast or cascade ranges - the berries are dark purple
thanks everyone for your great helpful posts we will ask the birds to be careful what they plant. as an aside the deer are kind enough to fertilise and mow the grass/weeds for us free of charge.
The colour of Sambucus racemosa can be a bit variable. Even on the west coast, you occasionally see Sambucus with blackish berries depending on the subspecies and variety. A friend once told me she knew of a shrub with orange berries out in the wild where she lived in Whonnock.
You have the right attitude for co-existing with deer, @anon125. They not only fertilise and mow grass, they also PRUNE. It's their enthusiastic willingness to prune that has contributed to my bad attitude toward them. Here's a picture of my formerly beautiful Green Emerald hedge which the deer targeted in the few vulnerable days my deer fence came down in the November storm.
I've seen Pacific red elder in red, purple, brown, orange and yellow. Some sites will have multiple examples together of the purple and maybe the brown. Whereas the orange and the yellow seem to occur pretty consistently as solitary examples.
