Holl, SY, Casy fo Grow 
A PLAIN DIRT FARMER TELLS HOW 
lee real story of the growing of American 
Holly is as interesting, exciting and fantastic as a 
fairy tale and the truth about this wonderful 
broad-leaved evergreen is as strange as fiction. 
Polks have always loved Holly, but, because its 
growth habit differs vastly from our other trees 
and shrubs, it is greatly misunderstood. I will tell 
you later why more Hollies have been planted 
in the last five years than during the preceding 
fifty, but first let's consider some of the reasons 
why Holly was so neglected for over two hundred 
years. 
Things even when not based on fact repeated 
often enough become “truths” ito most of us. 
Propaganda put out by a certain large country 
today has influenced millions of people to believe 
half truths or worse. Thus, nothing has hindered 
the planting of Holly here in America as much as 
stories handed down for decades that tend to 
have us believe that it (Holly) is hard to grow. 
FEW KNOW REAL STORY OF HOLLY 
One of the strange things about Holly is why 
these so-called ‘’Truths” persist when there is no 
concerted dislike of Holly, rather these sayings 
are brought to us by friends who really are trying 
to help. This feeling that Holly cannot be success- 
fully grown is so widespread that it has definitely 
hindered the planting of this wonderful evergreen. 
I know it discouraged me in my early efforts, but 
as I grew older it “backfired.” Some of us will 
always want to do the very things at which every- 
one tells us we cannot succeed. Father said I 
was as stubborn as a mule and this, coupled with 
my love for Holly, just would not let me give up. 
I have always been glad, however, that I first 
started to grow Holly as a hobby, not as a com- 
mercial venture, because I spent years of hard 
work and much money before I learned how to 
successfully handle them. Now people from all 
over the country come to my Holly Farm and 
many, possibly with a bit of envy, tell me how 
lucky I am. They say that all I have to do if in 
