By JESSICA DAMIANO No doubt you’ve seen your share of hollies this month — in wreaths and boughs or perhaps on holiday cards ...

As December settles in and homes begin to glow with seasonal decorations, few plants are as instantly recognizable as holly.

Readers who have visited the Pinelands (aka Pine Barrens) of South Jersey know that holly is commonplace. The plant is also found in the coastal plain of Maryland and Delaware. Here in the Ridge and ...

For centuries, holly has had a traditional connection to Christmas and winter celebrations. Many believed that holly’s ability to stay green throughout the winter meant that it had magical properties.

Immortalized in carols such as “The Holly and the Ivy,” holly is a traditional symbol of Christmas and the entire winter season. There are many traditions and myths surrounding holly. Here are a few: ...

A female American holly plant is pictured above. When the pilgrims landed on these shores in December 1620, they may well have seen American holly (Ilex opaca), which grows all along the East Coast, ...

AT this time of year a sprig of holly brings festive cheer to any home – but what does it really have to do with Christmas? The prickly plant and its bright red berries have become a symbol of the ...

It has, to paraphrase an old English carol, prickles as sharp as thorns, bark as bitter as gall and berries as bright as life-giving blood. Friends and loved ones gathering on Christmas will see it in ...

In this season where many of us have begun using foliages from evergreens, the holly plant is not overlooked. There is a long history of the use of holly which goes back to before the Christian era.