congrats .... proud papa.. lol ...

Good to see people planting American hollies. They can grow slower than most people prefer, but in the end, they are more satisfying.

Here is the Holly tree 5 years later.

lots of berries this year.

Nice to get an update. So often we never hear how things turn out. Thanks.

Dan Fenton is supposed to have unusually glossy leaves for an opaca.

ViburnumValley , what beautiful pictures of Dan Fenton! It certainly needs to be offered more in the plant world. One of my favorite opacas is 'Satyr Hill' for the leaf shape, or 'Chief Paduke' for the leaf size and unusual shape.

Thanks, Dave. I wish I gardened - like you - in the balmy mid Atlantic region where, awash with acid sandy loam soils, Ilex opaca is happy as a clam and produces such amazing specimens.

'Satyr Hill' (a selection from McLean Nurseries outside Baltimore) and 'Chief Paduke' (a selection from the Ohio River valley region) are fine plants.

I can only find a couple of crappy photos of 'Satyr Hill' filed away; I'll keep looking, since these won't sell many plants. They DO exhibit the flatter and broader characters of the leaves on this selection...

I think my images of 'Chief Paduke' (all from Bernheim Arboretum) are better.

These last two images of 'Chief Paduke' - same specimen at Bernheim Arboretum - merit a comment. Notice the first (overexposed) image of this plant loaded with fruit. This was taken in January 2007, testament to persistence of fruit in winter. Contrast that with the last picture, taken in December 2007, with few to no fruit visible.

Kentucky was struck with the infamous Easter Freeze in early April 2007, after quite mild weather in February and March had plants growing way before normal. That 3 nights blast of sub 20F temperatures (replete with advective freezing) denuded most new growth and emergent flower buds on Ilex opaca which resulted in a very poor fruiting display in fall/winter 2007.

I think further expansion of American Holly discussion might ought to be pursued on its own post, and not diminish or dilute this thread about 'Dan Fenton'.