Holly Berries

[veggiechicken]

A holly tree in my garden is laden with berries It seems very early - or have I never noticed before? Is it a sign of a hard winter to come - or one that has been? Or nothing!!!
Can you check your holly trees too please - I'm curious

[KittyColdNose]

That seems very early to me VC. I don't have any holly but will have a looksee next time I am out walking.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Kitty. I've been goggling but can't come up with a definitive answer about "when do holly berries appear". Some say November, some say they form one year and ripen the next, some say July.
I have learned (or been reminded) that only female trees have berries, that they don't fruit until they are 20 years old and that the leaves are less prickly higher up in the tree as the prickles are a defence against grazing animals. Isn't nature wonderful

[KittyColdNose]

It sure is VC. The woods across the road where I grew up were my playground, big bro (12yr older than me) would take the dog for a walk there and in the surrounding country and I'd tag along... running mostly to keep up. I always associate holly wil this and autumn/winter walks with him. He taught me loads about wild plants Still learning from him even now at xx years old!

[veggiechicken]

My Dad taught me about wild plants and animals. He could hardly read or write but he'd learnt from his father to appreciate nature. We'd go for long walks in the woods and he'd tell me about the flowers and birds that we'd see. I owe my parents a lot

[mothhawk]

Holly flowers May/June so there should be developing berries on now and they should be ripe by the end of September, beginning of October. If you think about it, apples are the same - flower April/May, but the fruit's not ready till Sept/Oct, also hawthorn, blackthorn, rowan, and so on.

And if there are loads of berries, it's a sign that the weather was good when the flowers were out. They didn't get frosted or battered off by wind and rain.

[veggiechicken]

Just a little update.........the berries in the original photos are just on the turn

However, elsewhere in the garden..............


So Big Tick, Gold Star to Mothhawk

[mothhawk]

Lovely berries, but looks like you'll need a ladder to get your C*******s decorations, or of course, a pair of long handled loppers...

[binley100]

My tree has berries too but it usually does about this time of year..

[Bill HH]

I dont subscribe to the predictive abilities of plants any more than I do to the Met office.

I have a yew tree that is covered in very beautiful berries this year, I know they are poisonous before someone tells me.

[julesapple]

Lovely sig you've got there Arialqupply. Very appropriate - but not quite Christmas stockings.

VC wear goggles if you're using long loppers on holly - I speak from experience here

[veggiechicken]

Deffo don't want to find holly leaves inside my stockings............
Finding it impossible to report it this morning.............