Decking the halls with boughs of holly is not as easy as it used to be in Ohio. That’s because the American holly, known for its thick red fruit, is no longer as plentiful here as in the past.

“American holly was popular in the `40s and `50s, and you’ll see older estates that still have 40-foot American holly trees on them,” says Mike Ecker, director of horticulture at Dawes Arboretum in Newark. “But as landscapes changed, they fell out of favor because they are expensive and difficult to grow in parts of the state.”  To read more, click here to subscribe >>