East Palatka Holly

We have studied the situation and decided to plant East Palatka Holly trees to replace the linden oak that fell July 3. These native hollies will take an attractive conical shape. They will be shelter and food for birds all year round. Positioned in the front of the yard, they will provide a wind break between the street and the rest of the yard where other plantings already give food for birds and butterflies. This wind break will be important because the wind usually comes from the north, up the hill from the T intersection, and there is not as much wind break there as there used to be before our neighbors to the north severely pruned back their impenetrable hedge and destroyed the opportunistic vines that were weighing it down.

I have always wanted to plant East Palatka Hollies but didn't have a place for them until now. These hollies will be planted in honor of my brother, who got a lot of pleasure out of watching birds from his window in Knoxville these past few months. His favorites were the woodpeckers-- redbellied and hairy-- and the goldfinches and hummingbirds when they came. The loss of the linden oak has left a big swath of open space with no canopy. I was happy with the linden oak there, except when it dropped huge branches, and I did not want it gone. I grieved for it after it was taken down. It has taken weeks for me to be used to the idea that something else can grow there in the future. While the hollies are growing, there will be time to plant butterfly and hummingbird plants near them for a few years until they fill in. It feels good to think about the future as well as the past.