a heavy clay soil add enough sand to give it a good tilth, 
and use more leaf mold than you would in preparing a 
sandy loam. 
Do not use lime on your Hollies. They are acid loving 
plants and do not grow well in alkaline soils as a rule. 
It is a simple matter to increase the acidity of calcareous 
soils if this is necessary. A phone call to your county 
agent will bring specific information for your area’s soil. 
Do not plant your holly too deep. Many fine plants 
have been ruined because of this practice. When planted 
too deep they do not get enough aeriation. Use the top 
roots of your plants as a guide and have them exactly at 
the level of the soil. 
Cottonseed meal is an excellent fertilizer for all Hollies. 
This may be supplemented with a commercial Broad-Leaf 
Evergreen fertilizer. 
Don't forget to cut the bag away from the ball and 
let it lie loose in the hole [it will soon rot]. Be careful 
not to break the dirt and root ball. 
A mulch of rooted oak leaves or pine needles will be 
useful in protecting young plants in the winter. It should 
be remembered, though, that an acid mulch promotes 
leaching of mineral elements from the soil. Thus, fer- 
tilization is necessary where such mulches are used. 
By proper planting, fairly tender species can often be 
made to grow far north of their normal range. 
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