When we moved into our home thirty-three years ago, I discovered a copse of holly (Ilex aquifolium) in the back yard. As I worked the grounds, whenever I found other holly starts, I transplanted them into the copse. Now the stand has grown to be taller than my two-story house, as you can surmise from this shot of today’s vase sitting on the (second floor) deck railing in front of the holly grove. I love that it provides year-round shelter and habitat for many native and migrating birds.

Back to the vase!  I tried four other options but this inexpensive highball glass filled with water worked best for these top-heavy stems.

The chartreuse of Mexican orange (Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’) adds lightness and contrast to the posy, and a branch of heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) fills in with clusters of bright red berries.

Once again, thank you Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, for giving me an excuse to slog through the slush of my environs to find beauty near my doorstep!

“Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown”

From Sharp’s English Folk-Carols (1911), the publication that first established the current words and melody:^[1]