Deck the Halls with Boughs of Ollie!

Ken Cochran, Program Director,

Secrest Arboretum at OARDC

Wooster,OH

Dr. Oliver D. (Ollie) Diller, a renowned professional forester and avid holly fancier lived in a charming, heavily wooded hideaway estate on Wayne Avenue in Wooster, OH. At his home, Ollie developed and maintained a private arboretum including many unusual trees and shrubs and lots of hollies.

His enchanting estate included a small barn where he annually bagged hundreds of berry‑laden holly sprigs to give to convalescent homes, local nurses and his list of friends. Each Christmas folks looked forward to a bag of "Ollie's Hollies."

Ollie's gracious livelihood in growing and giving hollies not only contributed much toward the promotion of holly (genus Ilex) but also helped to extol its virtues to many friends and neighbors. The joy of sharing plant material with your friends is rewarding!

So in this holiday season let us remember the work of Ollie Diller and his colleague, John Ford, who started the holly collection at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's Secrest Arboretum in 1965!

Evergreen and Deciduous Holly

To the average reader "holly" conjures up a picture of a shiny‑leaved evergreen plant with bright red fruit. Not all hollies are broardleaved evergreens; some are leafless in the dormant winter and are collectively called deciduous holly with brightly colored fruit that enhances the winter landscape.

Through OARDC deciduous holly research, winter container gardeners have the opportunity for displaying Specialty Cuts © of deciduous holly such as Ilex verticillata Winter Red® in doorway container arrangements as a bright welcoming exhibit in early winter.

Consider Purchasing Deciduous Holly for Planting in Your Landscape

Don't be surprised if you have difficulty in finding deciduous hollies in the market place. Ask your local nurseries about purchasing deciduous holly or if not available, consider purchasing deciduous holly at Secrest Arboretum's plant sales.

Have fun with your hollies and consider a leisurely and purposeful visit to see the hollies at OARDC's Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, where holly has been studied so that you can have hardier and better cultivars for your landscape!

For more information contact us

Holly Flowers

Container Arrangement

Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'