Dear All,
gather your holly now and store it in a bucket away from mice and birds in a cool place and it will keep until Christmas. The pigeons are stripping the berries from the bushes where I work as we speak.
Regards Sally Wright.
Holly with berries for Christmas.
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
-
Tom Parsons
- KG Regular
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:54 pm
- Location: North Somerset
Perhaps they know something we don't?
-
oldherbaceous
- KG Regular
- Posts: 13851
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
- Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
- Has thanked: 276 times
- Been thanked: 307 times
Dear Sally, it's the blackbirds that seem to like them where i live, but i cut mine today.
Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for the reminder.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
-
alan refail
- KG Regular
- Posts: 7252
- Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:00 am
- Location: Chwilog Gogledd Orllewin Cymru Northwest Wales
- Been thanked: 5 times
We have a large variegated holly (Golden King?) which provides us with masses of berried branches every year. The birds - mainly blackbirds - which eat all our wild holly berries, will not touch the variegated tree's berries until well into the new year, March usually.
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
-
sally wright
- KG Regular
- Posts: 722
- Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2005 7:32 pm
- Location: Cambridge
Dear Alan,
for us it is the I. aquifolium (common holly) that go first then the I. x altaclarensis (highclare holly)then the I. "J.C. Van Tol" (the only self fertile one - guaranteed berries and not too prickly). The birds DO seem to leave the varigated ones alone. Perhaps the varigation does something to the flavour that the birds don't like until there is nothing else to eat.
The same thing seems to happen with the cotoneasters, berberis and pyracanthas. Certain varieties always get eaten first and some never do.
Regards Sally Wright.
for us it is the I. aquifolium (common holly) that go first then the I. x altaclarensis (highclare holly)then the I. "J.C. Van Tol" (the only self fertile one - guaranteed berries and not too prickly). The birds DO seem to leave the varigated ones alone. Perhaps the varigation does something to the flavour that the birds don't like until there is nothing else to eat.
The same thing seems to happen with the cotoneasters, berberis and pyracanthas. Certain varieties always get eaten first and some never do.
Regards Sally Wright.
-
peter
- KG Regular
- Posts: 5845
- Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:54 pm
- Location: Near Stansted airport
- Has thanked: 18 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
- Contact:
Possibly akin to apple trees?
Each cultivar has a different flavour and sweetness.
Each cultivar has a different flavour and sweetness.
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
-
sally wright
- KG Regular
- Posts: 722
- Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2005 7:32 pm
- Location: Cambridge
Dear Peter,
seems reasonable, though I don't think I will be testing this hypothesis personally!
Regards Sally Wright
seems reasonable, though I don't think I will be testing this hypothesis personally!
Regards Sally Wright
-
peter
- KG Regular
- Posts: 5845
- Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:54 pm
- Location: Near Stansted airport
- Has thanked: 18 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
- Contact:
Just realised from Sally's post that my comment could be rashly interpreted.
To rephrase my previous post :
Possibly akin to apple trees?
To the birds each cultivar has a different flavour and sweetness.
To rephrase my previous post :
Possibly akin to apple trees?
To the birds each cultivar has a different flavour and sweetness.
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/