James and I have a small courtyard off our kitchen and master bath, thanks to an architect friend’s brilliant idea some 20 years ago. Once construction was complete, James laid out the courtyard with Mexican pavers and planting beds accented with containers of fern and blooming plants. Directly out from our kitchen window, he planted a Possumhaw (Ilex decidua) which can be seen from both the kitchen and master bath. It has been the perfect tree!
Possumhaw is multi-trunked and considered an ornamental tree, in that it stays under 25′ (its actual finished height is around 15′). The birds love this tree! It produces red berries in the fall that the mockingbirds devour, and all kinds of migrating birds stop off in our courtyard to get water from our re-circulating birdbath and rest in our tree. It does lose about 3/4 of its leaves in the winter, but because the leaves are small, it isn’t a chore to clean up. They can be expected to live 25-50 years and very hardy against cold and heat. I have never had to spray this tree for insects!
I found some small outdoor iron birds, made in Portland, Oregon, at the Botanical Gardens in Portland. I love the way they adorn our tree…and… after a little research, I found the artist & manufacturer and was able to bring them to Gill’s!
A relative of Possumhaw is the Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria). We have one on the side of our house along Santa Fe Street. The Texas hill country is covered with Yaupon Holly; naturally, they grow under oak trees. They also grow to about 15′, have red berries, small leaves and yes, the birds love them! And again, no bugs that I’ve found bother this tree either.
I am quick to recommend both these trees. Planted in front of windows but far enough out to not catch the eave of your home, they bring nature indoors and can create nice filtered light for your interior, and for the icing on the cake, you get to watch the birds!
-Sally Gill
8 Comments on “Possumhaw: No Flashy Blooms, but Oh My Gosh, What Pleasure This Tree Brings Me!”
I have a mountain laurel tree at my ranch{80 miles north} that split one of 3 limbs off in the last big storm. we have cut it off clean but do we need to spray the cut or do anything to it. the tree is about12 feet tal.l. /
No, Trees have been healing their own ones without our help or with out Tree paint for millions of years. Horticulturists now recommend pre-paint only in extremely limited circumstances and this is not one of them.
Do you carry possumhaw trees?
Yes
I want to plant 2 trees in the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street. About 4 feet wide. What do you recommend and when should I plant here in Corpus. Just moved here in April and have the beds in front of the house done and planted a Small magnolia and a Vitex bush in the centers of the front lawn.
That is a tough area to plant a tree since they hang over into the street and can be a hazard for cars and trucks driving by as well as being difficult to keep watered in such a small space. I would plant a dwarf crape myrtle, texas sage bush etc.. Something smaller and water wise in that area would be great choice. Come and see us. We can show you some options that would work great.
I want to plant a couple of medium shade trees in my backyard this fall. What would you recommend?
Lots of possibilities, but I love cedar elm as a mid-size tree. Texas native, nice fall color.