January Tree of the Month-Foster Holly

It’s a new year, and even though the spring catalogs are gracing our mailboxes, we still have weeks to go before spring truly arrives in St. Louis. How will we manage to muddle through until then? With one of the top winter interest plants-the foster holly, Ilex x attenuata ‘Fosteri’

Similar to our native American holly, the foster holly is a hybrid of American holly, Ilex opaca, and Ilex cassine, commonly known as Dahoon. Foster holly can grow 20-30’ high and 10’-20’ wide, retaining a dense, pyramidal habit. Acidic, well-drained soils are best in full sun to part shade. Protection from winter winds is also beneficial.

The berry show on Foster hollies is fantastic, especially when situated in full sun. Even better, the berries persist all winter. But wait, there’s more! Unlike other hollies, the Foster holly is self-pollinating–meaning you still get excellent berry production even without a male planted nearby. Perfect for smaller gardens!

What I love about this tree? It’s evergreen, with a beautiful, dense habit. The long-lasting berries are showy all winter and don’t require a male like other hollies. The cover it provides for wildlife. The leaves aren’t quite as spiny as American holly. Fosters make a beautiful privacy screen when used as a hedge or an excellent specimen plant if used alone.

What’s not so great-Can have issues with holly leaf miner, spittlebugs, spider mites, whitefly, and scale. Susceptible to leaf spot, leaf rot, tar spot and powdery mildew, leaf drop, leaf scorch, and chlorosis (yellowing of leaves in high pH soils). 

Words and photos by Jo Batzer

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