MANY holly bushes have been bearing berries since the autumn, their brilliant red hue appearing above deep green spiked foliage.

Indeed, holly is the benchmark of Christmas and, as well as feeding the birds, provides fantastic material for door wreaths and indoor decorations. A wonderful variegated type is Ilex aquifolium ‘Handsworth New Silver’, which bears glossy dark green leaves with spiny cream margins all year and vivid red berries in winter. Hollies need full sun to produce the best results. They can be grown in any fertile, well drained soil and pruned to shape if necessary in early spring.