# is burford holly invasive?



## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Birds will spread the seeds, especially cedar wax wings and robins, but I haven't noticed more than a half dozen seedlings coming up here in the last 22 years. I've got several hollies, three or four Burfords. 

I dig up, pot, the try to grow the seedlings for later planting. And yes, the bees do love the holly blossoms. They'll work them the whole time they bloom, the bushes sound like a swarm is in each bush/tree. I say tree because some are quite large.


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## mrflegel (Mar 23, 2014)

Mine is about 30 foot tall and is trimmed so that we can walk under it. Planted 4 feet from my house 60 years or so before I bought the house. Limbs 2 foot thru. Big time for the bees when it blooms. Not many seedlings have sprouted, a few suckers from the roots.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

So it is not invasive then. 
How come you stuck it in a potato to plant?
Might as well use the root growing powder hormones or in a gel form of it.


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

The guy that gave me the twig sort of suggested it, saying that putting cuttins in potatos would keep them green a long time, and some would actually root.
He mentioned that according to his internet reading, the best time to propagate from cuttings was before the bush bloomed, so we missed that window.
I did not have any "store bought" rooting enhancements, but I had a potato in the kitchen, so why not?
As it turns out, brown spots were appearing in the center of the leaves, so this technique is probably not the way to do it.
My wife said she she didn't want the potato back, so I went ahead & planted it. If I don't get a holly bush, maybe I will get potatoes


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Ahhh, you're one smart beekeeper or a potato grower.
Yes, all trees at their dormant time just before they bloom
is the right time to propagate them. This late winter I cut out
a side branch of the Bee-bee tree and dip the end into the rooting hormone
powder while leaving the main branch to grow stronger. 
I planted the side branch in the potting soil in a large plastic
pot. Without any root I thought it will dry out. As it turn out in this 
early Spring the lower end send out some green leaves. Now only if it will
grow some roots for me. The parent plant is growing strong now sending lots
of leaves out. Try air-layering from his big tree the next time.


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## warrior (Nov 21, 2005)

I know the chinese holly (one of the parents of the burford hybrid) can be slightly invasive as it reseeds readily but it isn't nowhere as bad as other invasive like privet (also preferred by bees). 
I honestly can't recall finding a volunteer burford though I imagine it may be possible.

Burford is assumed to be a natural hybrid (not a planned cross) and as such may not produce highly fertile seed.


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## warrior (Nov 21, 2005)

Then again on second thought the burford holly was first found growing semi feral in one of Atlanta's older cemeteries.


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## roberto487 (Sep 22, 2012)

I read honey is good for rooting cuttings. I have not tried it myself yet.


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