The other one is an Osmanthus Goshiki - I just bought 4 of them today at Home Depot to add to my osmanthus grove. Nicely grown Goshikis in a 4 inch pot for $4!

I'm going to tuck them in by the concrete foundation in a protected area and also hope they'll survive. Not sure yet where I'll put them, but the three I have now are doing beautifully (planted about three years ago).

I went to HD to buy a storage shelf, but couldn't resist checking out the holiday plants. They also had Pinus leucodermis (Bosnian pine) in two sizes for about $8 and $17. They're selling them for living Christmas trees. Too big for me, but a beautiful tree if you have room.

Claire

Darn, I hardly ever go to HD, and I was there yesterday morning! (Probably the exact same one Richie went to!) But my daughter dragged me in the opposite direction when I started heading for the garden center. I should have knocked her over and run for it, lol.

Richie, did you chip the ice and snow away to plant those darn things? A lot of our snow melted, but what was left was hard, frozen snow.

A lot of it washed away today, but no gardening on my mind. My daughter was involved in a 50 - yes, FIFTY!! - car pile-up today. Luckily, everyone is safe and sound.

I just might have to make another trip to HD. I've been eyeing my neighbor's holly, which berried for the first time in many years this year. It's very tempting.

:)
Dee

They are Osmanthus Goshiki, indeed and I also got 3 of them ;-)
I placed them together (in their pots) in a 5G pot and filled spaces with a mulch. Will overwinter them in my cold frame/garage where I overwinter hydrangeas. Surely I have no space for 3 in a different places, but planning to plant all 3 together as a one shrub....or give to someone who 'was dragged in the opposite direction' and missed them :-)

Dee, I had to break up the ground a bit but it wasn't that bad. Get back there soon, there weren't too many of the variegated hollies left. There are a few at the end of the table closet to the fence.

LOL, George!

Richie, I may try to make it there tomorrow afternoon after work. Actually, I should send my daughter there to buy them as penance for dragging me away. Plus, my aura of mommy-knows-all has been somewhat restored in her eyes, even though she is a teenager, since she got in that accident 10 minutes after I told her she shouldn't be going out in that weather. I need to use it to my advantage while I can, lol! It won't last long!

:)
Dee

Dee, Did she get in that accident on 110 yesterday? I saw the pictures in the paper today, I can't believe that happened.

that accident made it on the Boston news yesterday. Glad she is ok.

WHen they said Shelton/110, it first sounded like Chelmsford/110 which is nearby.

I have a variegated holly, Holly Maid, that seems to get golder and brighter in the winter.

Yes, that was the one! (Thanks, Wendy.) I live off of that road, and the accident happened about two miles down the hill from me. It's a horrible road - or I should say, that section is horrible. My daughter's classmate was killed there a few years ago as they were driving up it - hit head-on by a drunk driver coming down the hill. I refuse to drive up it at all, and will only drive down it occasionally at 4AM when I'm bringing the boys to hockey practice, and even then only if there has been no precipitation for a few days. It gets no sun, so the ice remains ice, and there is always water dripping out of the rock cliffs to add to the ice. My husband always laughs at me because I won't drive on it, but I guess I was vindicated yesterday! Too bad my daughter had to be involved.

I'm just happy all those people walked away with no serious injuries.

I have no hollies at all. I'm hoping to redo the entire foundation planting next year (of course I said that this past year) and will definitely include some kind of hollies. But you guys will know because I plan on posting pictures to get some help!

:)
Dee

I have been buying those little hollies and planting them for awhile at the end of this season. I had two more to go and everything froze over. I have them in the garage, but they seem frozen solid. I was hoping for one thaw date to plant them.

I have the variagated kind and the kind with the white edged leaves.

:(

Not one of the hollies that I planted came back! I never have that happen.

The false holly survived for me but the variegated died as soon as the cold weather broke...go figure..it made it all winter too. I planted mine right in the ground as soon as I bought them...maybe you should try that this year.

I planted a Honey Maid Holly last year that came through the winter just fine. No protection. It is actually a cultivar of Blue Holly which is so dependable. Very pretty holly and look forward to good things from it. Oh, it has red berries too.

I was reading through this thread, not realizing that it started in December; boy was I surprised to see people talking about chipping snow and ice. Happy to hear that we haven't gotten THAT far into the cold season yet!

Small plants that are set out in winter, or even tucked into the garage in their pots, have a really tough time and need to be watered right up until the ground is frozen solid, and then checked for moisture any time the ground thaws. It's a tricky situation, and I haven't had much luck with any plant even remotely picky about moisture. Some miniature needled evergreens planted at Christmas time have done well for me, but that's about it.

My four little Goshikis were carefully tucked into a planter against a south facing concrete foundation, surrounded by stones to retain heat, and topped with a frost blanket.

Unfortunately, I don't know if they would have survived because something pulled them out of their planter in late winter and walked off with them. I was not happy when I discovered that. Not at all happy.

Claire

C'mon guys, they were ment to be just a 'Table X-mas Hollies' and nothing else: they simply were barely rooted cuttings in 2.5" pots, that's it. To plant them in ground in December was an experiment with very predictable result.
Nevertheless, of 3 of mine Osmanthus 'Goshiki' 1 died over the winter, 1 is well alive and now tripled or quadrupled in size being transfered in spring into 2G pot and the third one was given to Carl, who made a strange promise "to keep it alive untill it dies".
I guess now is about time to ask him what he ment by saying that :-)

Well, Home Depot is doing it again, and earlier. Today they had what I believe is Osmanthus Goshiki but they labeled them "Holly Osmanthus Ilex meserveae".

Ridiculous label but they're in 6 inch pots for $6.99/pot and I could see roots in the bottom drainage holes so they seem to be reasonably well-rooted. I'll know better tomorrow when I plant the three I just bought.

Got to expand the osmanthus grove.

Claire

I purchased one this year, similar to what Claire is describing. I got mine at Loews. I might buy one more if I find another one with yellow coloring instead of white. I figure if they take, I will expand by rooting... although I have not looked up how probable that is.

I stopped in Home Depot over the holiday weekend for something and checked out the garden center 1st but they only had blue princess hollies left and ended up going to Lowes for what I wanted and saw the variagated hollies there and got a nice size one for less than $8.00. I left in the pot and planted it on the south side of my house for the winter where it should be ok.

My holly looked great when winter ended, but now it has been dying over the last two weeks.