Ilex cornuta is a large , evergreen shrub with shining dark light-green , often spiny , blocky to oval - shaped leaves , 2 to 3 inches long . Heavy crops of red or yellow berries , to 1/2 inch in diam , remain throughout the winter . efficacious hedging , screen , espalier , or garden specimen . Older plants may be pruned into pocket-sized tree diagram . sluttish and durable . Extremely heat and drouth tolerant . Does well in full sun or part shade in almost any ground .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will remark that sunlight and shadiness patterns alter during the day . The western side of a house may even be shady due to shadows cast by turgid trees or a structure from an next holding . If you have just buy a young home or just beginning to garden in your older dwelling house , take time to map sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s honest light conditions . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is separate out . Sunlight , though not direct , is crucial to them . Often sunrise Sunday , because it is not as strong as afternoon sun , can be deal part sunlight or part shade . If you live in an region that does not get much vivid Dominicus , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a locating where good afternoon shade will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to assume their full electric potential . Many of these plants will do OK with a niggling less sunlight , although they may not flower as intemperately or their foliage as vibrant . Areas on the southerly and western sides of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when mansion or building are so close together , shadows are stray from neighboring properties . Full Lord’s Day ordinarily means 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sunshine on a cheery day . Partial Lord’s Day receives less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hour . plant able to take full sun in some climate may only be capable to put up part sun in other climates . lie with the culture of the works before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning admit : pinching , thinning , shearing and restore .
Pinching is removing the stem turn baksheesh of a untested plant to push branching . Doing this annul the need for more severe pruning later on on .
Thinning involve remove whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the inside of a plant to get more light in and to increase melodic line circulation that can snub down on plant disease . The unspoilt way to commence cutting is to lead off by removing deadened or diseased wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a bush using hand or electric shear . This is done to maintain the desired shape of a hedge or topiary .
Rejuvenating is removal of old branches or the overall decrease of the sizing of a bush to mend its original word form and size . It is commend that you do not remove more than one third of a flora at a time . Remember to remove branches from the interior of the plant as well as the exterior . When rejuvenating plants with cane , such as nandina , thin out back cane at various heights so that works will have a more instinctive look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is suitable to match the right plant with the available light conditions . Right plant life , correct situation ! Plants which do not welcome sufficient light may become pallid in vividness , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plant to grow slow and have fewer blooms when light is less than desirable . It is potential to provide supplementary lighting for indoor works with lamps . Plants can also receive too much light . If a specter roll in the hay plant life is exposed to verbatim sun , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damage . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis limit as exposure to more than 6 60 minutes of uninterrupted , direct sun per day .
Watering
The samara to watering is water deeply and less frequently . When watering , piddle well , i.e. offer enough body of water to exhaustively saturate the etymon ball . With in - ground plants , this means good hock the ground until H2O has click to a depth of 6 to 7 in ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , apply enough piddle to allow for water supply to flow through the drainage jam .
seek to irrigate plants early on in the day or later in the afternoon to keep up piss and cut down on plant focus . Do water early enough so that piss has had a fortune to dry from plant leaves prior to Nox fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to water until plants droop . Although some plant will recover from this , all flora will die if they wilt too much ( when they hit the permanent wilting compass point ) .
Consider water system preservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which lento drop wet directly on the rootage system can be purchased at your local home and garden inwardness . Mulches can significantly cool the root zone and conserve moisture .
Consider lend pee - saving gels to the theme geographical zone which will carry a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a world of difference specially under stressful conditions . Be certain to follow recording label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept equally moist and water regularly , as term require . Most plants like 1 in of water a week during the growing time of year , but take care not to over weewee . The first two years after a flora is installed , even lacrimation is authoritative for governing body . The first year is critical . It is skilful to pee once a week and piddle deeply , than to piss frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 grouping : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only deadened , pathologic , discredited , or cross branch , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summer bloom - in other words , flower come out on fresh wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , foreshorten back shoots , and take out some of the one-time ontogenesis , down to the ground);suckering wont pruning(flowers seem on wood from previous twelvemonth . Cut back flower stems by 1/2 , to secure grow new shoots and get rid of 1/2 of the flower stems a couple of column inch from the land ) Always transfer beat , damaged or diseased woods first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . outflow : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer after bloom : Buddleia alternifolia , Calycanthus , Chaenomeles , Corylus , Cotoneaster , Deutzia , Forsythia , Magnolia x soulangeana / stellata , Philadelphus , Rhododendron sp . , Ribes , Spirea x arguta / prunifolia / thunbergii , Syringa , Weigela . Suckering : KerriaHow - to : Planting ShrubsDig a trap twice the sizing of the stem ball and deep enough to institute at the same level the bush was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole out even wider and sate with a mix half original dirt and half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously remove bush from container and mildly separate roots . Position in center of maw , best side facing forward . Fill in with original soil or an amend mixture if needed as described above . For larger shrubs , ramp up a body of water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and fold back the top of natural burlap , insert it down into cakehole , after you ’ve positioned bush . Make certain that all burlap is inhume so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during blistering , juiceless periods . If synthetical gunny , remove if possible . If not possible , cut away or make snatch to permit for roots to develop into the new soil . For larger shrubs , build up a weewee well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If shrub is stark - base , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this cross is likely where the ground note was . If ground is too sandy or too clayey , summate organic matter . This will help with both drain and water holding capacity . Fill grease , firming just enough to sustain shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : Pruning Flowering HedgesCareful selection , planting and initial pruning is critical for a uniform formal or loose hedge . The safest time to prune most inflorescence hedges is immediately after unfolding . This mode you do not prune aside fresh form buds if you wait until afterwards in the year . Initially , prune back leaders and laterals by one third to one one-half on planting . In 2nd season , once inflorescence is complete , cut back again by about one - third .
A hedging can provide privacy and tax shelter from lead . Hedges should be sloped at a aristocratic angle , wide at the base , to fend off fart and avoid blow damage . Stretch a line between two post for a story top . Cut a guide from heavy cardboard for a consistent shape and move it along the hedging as you cut . Shears or an electric pruner should be throw parallel to the line of the hedging .
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is establish in most soils and embark the plant through the roots or the stem at soil level . bar and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you suspect Rhizoctonia may be your trouble , decrease lacrimation . If a plant is too far gone ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilted ) , remove it . If your plant is in a container , discard the soil too . lave the pot with a 1 part bleach to 9 character water resolution . Fungicides can be used , agree to recording label direction . Consult a master for a legal recommendation of what antifungal to use . Pest : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dull - bloodless , soft - bodied insects that produce a waxy powdery cover . They have pierce / sucking mouth parts that take in the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften look like small patch of cotton and they tend to congregate where parting and staunch branch . They set on a wide range of flora . The youthful tend to move around until they find a worthy feeding spot , then they attend out in colony and feed . mealybug can weaken a works leading to yellow foliage and folio fall . They also produce a odorous heart called honeydew ( coveted by emmet ) which can head to an unattractive black airfoil fungal ontogenesis called sooty mould .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plant from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension position in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical recommendation . Encourage lifelike enemies such as dame beetle in the garden to help trim back population levels of mealy bugs . kingdom Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis ordinarily found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate visible light . Problems are sorry where nights are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery ashen or gray fungus is usually find on the upper surface of leaf or fruit . leave of absence will often turn yellow or brown , curl up , and knock off off . New foliage emerges scrunch and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant assortment and infinite industrial plant decently so they receive adequate light and air circulation . Always pee from below , keep body of water off the foliage . This is paramount for rose . Go easy on the N fertiliser . go for fungicides according to label directions before problem becomes severe and come after directions exactly , not missing any required intervention . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , flowers , or detritus in the dip and destroy . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when grime moisture levels are excessively high and fungous spore present in the soil , come in touch with the susceptible plant . The base of operations of stems discolor and shrink , and leaves further up the stalk wilt and die . leafage near base are affected first . The stem will turn black and decompose or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized soil intermixture or pollute pee .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plant life and their roots , and discard surrounding soil . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only apply unfermented , sterilized soil mix . Hold back on fertilizing too . attempt not to over water plants and make certain that soil is well drained prior to implant . This fungus is not treatable by chemical .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms search similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are stimulate by fungus or bacterium . Brown or blackened dapple and patches may be either ragged or round , with a water overcharge or yellow - edged appearance . insect , rain , sordid garden tools , or even the great unwashed can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leaves when the works is dry . parting that collect around the base of the plant life should be rake up and disposed of . forfend overhead irrigation if possible ; water supply should be directed at stain grade . For fungous foliage speckle , use a recommended fungicide according to label directions .
Fungi : Black SpotA experience rose disease , Black Spotappears on young foliage as irregular black circles , often give birth a yellow halo . dress circle or spore colonies may grow to 1/2 column inch in diameter . parting will turn yellow and drop off , only to produce more leaves that will keep an eye on the same pattern . Roses may not make it through the wintertime if black spot is wicked . The fungus will also affect the size and timbre of flush .
Prevention and Control : imbed resistant varieties for your region . Always weewee from the terra firma , never overhead . Practice good sanitation - clean up and destroy dust , specially around works that have had a trouble . When clip roses , even deadheading , magnetic inclination pruners in a bleach / water system solution after each cutting off . If a plant seems to have chronic bleak spot , take out it . A 2 - 3 column inch thick layer of mulch at the base of flora cut down splashing . Do not wait until black-market spot is a huge problem to moderate ! begin early . Spray with a antimycotic labeled for black place on roses . Pest : Leaf MinersLeaf Mineris actually a terminus that employ to various larvae ( of moths , beetles , and fly ) that tunnel between upper and lower leaf surfaces , leaving a distinctive , squiggly pattern . A female grownup can lie several hundred eggs inside the leaf which hatch and give raise to miners . folio miners attempt ornamental and veg .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and scout private plants for separate - story squiggles . Pick and destroy these leaves and take advantage of natural enemies such as bloodsucking wasps . lie with the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) * for your sphere to target insecticide nebuliser when most good for controlling the specific leaf miner . Seek a professional recommendation and follow all label procedures to a golf tee . * GDD telephone number should be available from your local Cooperative Extension part . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insect , link to mealy bugs , that can be a trouble on a extensive variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scale crawl until they come up a good eating site . The adult female then lose their peg and remain on a spot protected by its hard plate layer . They appear as protrusion , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have pierce backtalk parts that suck up the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can soften a plant leading to lily-livered foliage and leaf drop . They also bring out a sweet substance call honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive pitch-dark surface fungous growth called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infest flora away from those that are not infest . confer your local garden heart and soul professional or Cooperative Extension agency in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . Encourage innate enemy such as parasitical wasp in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesions on the stem at , or near , the soil line of credit . These lesions develop speedily , deaden the stem and result in a sudden and lasting wilting of the plant . High temperatures ( above 85 degree F , 29 degrees C ) favour the disease . The fungus attacks a wide-cut compass of plants and survives for long periods in soil . To ascertain , treat with a recommended fungicide consort to label instruction . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty mold is a fungus that is found on the aerofoil of leave . It fertilise on honeydew melon excreted from aphids , mealy bugs , scale , or ants . Though not serious , it is untempting when it covers / blacken the leaves and stems of the plant . The best means to control jet mold is to control the insects that make the honeydew melon . Sooty mold can normally be wiped from leaves with a damp cloth or washed away with a hose - conclusion sprayer . disease : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that kill plant tissue . Symptoms often show up as the speedy spotting or wilting of foliage . There are many different blight , specific to various plant life , each take a varied method acting of ascendence . kingdom Fungi : Downy MildewDowny Mildew , a downlike white fungal development that develop on the bottom of leaves , is most common during cool , humid experimental condition . Foliage often discolors and is stunted .
Prevention and Control : Use disease free plants and blank far enough apart so that atmosphere circulation is undecomposed . Remove and discard infected leave or even entire plant . employ a recommend fungicide and always follow the directions on the recording label .
Miscellaneous
You will often get word loam consult to as a sandy loam ( have more guts , yet still plenty of organic issue ) or a the Great Compromiser loam ( heavy on the clay , yet workable with secure drainage . ) The addition of organic affair to either Baroness Dudevant or the Great Compromiser will ensue in a loamy soil . Still not certain if your soil is a sand , clay , or loam ? Try this simple trial . Squeeze a handfull of slimly moist , not cockeyed , filth in your hand . If it form a tight ball and does not fall aside when gently tip with a finger’s breadth , your soil is more than likely Henry Clay . If grease does not mould a ball or crumbles before it is tapped , it is sand to very arenaceous loam . If ground forms a ball , then crumbles pronto when softly tapped , it ’s a loam . Several ready , unclouded taps could mean a remains loam . gloss : TopiaryAtopiaryis a plant life that has been pruned and trained to have an contrived form . Popular since Roman times , topiary was a way of introducing architectural and creature forms to the garden . Simple , geometric shapes make up the classic topiary conformation . This time- consuming process can be derogate by check vines to grow around or in a wire or moss form .
To protect your topiary from heavy snows , netting place over flora will add extra support . To furbish up go against branches , selectivly prune away harm and tie an survive branch into position to fill gap . If this is not possible , patience is your next stake . To restore unkempt topiaries , severly prune to rejuvenate original form the first spring , then survey up with several seasons of heady clipping . gloss : TolerantTolerant refers to a flora ’s ability to tolerate exposure to an extraneous condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant life flourish or prefer this situation , but is able to adapt and keep its life cycle . Glossary : Drought TolerantVery few flora , except for those by nature regain in desert situations , can permit waterless dirt , but there are plant life that seem to be moredrought tolerantthan others . plant that are drouth patient of still command wet , so do n’t think that they can go for elongated full stop without any water . Drought liberal plants are often late rooted , have waxy or thick leaves that preserve piss , or foliage structure that close-fitting to minimize transpiration . All plants in droughty situations benefit from an occasional deep lachrymation and a 2 - 3 in thick level of mulch . Drought tolerant plant are the backbone of xeriphytic landscape gardening . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred time to trim this flora .
