O Holly Night

It would take lots of time and hard work, but Science Village's own plant girl Hortense the Horticulturist was determined. She had resolved that she could grow a nice, healthy holly bush for Christmas. So she did! It was to be the most magnificent English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) bush anyone had ever seen. Of course, the very loving other Villagers wanted their part in the project as well, much to Hortense's great dismay.

At First

"What are you doing?" asked SciVille's perky, sky-hopping weather gal, Claudia St. Cloud.

"I'm planting a Holly bush," replied Hortense indignantly.

"What kind?"

"English Holly. Kingdom Plantae, Division Magnoliophyta, Class Magnoliopsida, Order Aquifoliales, Family Aquifoliaceae, and Genus and Species Ilex aquifolium."

"Okay, okay. Didn't ask for your life story."

"Well, anyway, Claudia, glad you're here. I need to know what kind of weather conditions we're expecting around here. I'd like to make sure things are optimal for my young plant here."
"No problem, Hortense. I'll go check out the skies right now. Away I go!" While Hortense rolled her eyes at that last part, Claudia shot up into the air to inspect the atmosphere. Oh, yeah, she can fly.

Airborne Claudia whipped out her special thermometers, barometers, doppler radars, humidity gauges, and other meteorological contraptions. After a while, she zipped right back down to the awaiting Hortense.

More Holly Berries

"Well?" asked Hortense. "Will weather conditions be good?" "I don't know," Claudia replied. "You never told me what exactly it needs to propagate." "Holly can grow under almost any condition, but I'd like to make sure I'm not pushing it. English Holly is found through, well, England of course, as well as Spain, Turkey, and a variety of other places with a mild climate. Doesn't like high temperatures, high humidity, or stagnant water." "Um, really?" Claudia asked nervously. "That's not good. We're expecting 100% relative humidity, temperatures in their 90s Fahrenheit, and lots and lots of rain. Could flood." "Drat. I'd better wait a while then."

However, over the next few days, Hortense noticed, annoyed, that the temperatures stayed below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, it remained about 55% relative humidity, and it only rained once and it was for about twenty minutes.

"You lied to me!" Hortense snapped at Claudia after two whole weeks of mild weather.

Claudia laughed at her. "Hehehe! Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to mess with you."

"Fine. But when you get the chance, I'd like for you to check the weather again, and tell me the truth this time!"

"Hehe. Okay. Whatever you say."

Claudia returned to the sky and examined her gadgets and the atmosphere once more. After a little while, she returned to Hortense.

"Cold weather!" she reported. "Long periods of frost, I'm afraid."

"Oh, no!" Hortense replied. "That's not good either. Holly dies in extended severe frosts."

But, sure enough, the temperatures never even fell close to freezing!

"Claudia!" Hortense snapped. "You're not nice."

"Okay, okay," Claudia confessed. "I'll give you a real report this time." And she returned to the sky. A little while later, she returned. "Okay, this time we definitely are facing like three straight weeks of rainy days."

But Hortense only glared at her. "Rain, you say? Heh. Well, I think I'll just plant my Holly anyway."

"Excessive rain, though!" Claudia pleaded. "For real, this time. Honest."

Hortense ignored her and went ahead and planted her Holly seeds.

Three weeks later, three whole weeks of wet, rainy days, her garden looked like a big muddy puddle.

"Tried to tell you," Claudia said to Hortense, but she just angrily went outside and looked despondently at her water-logged garden.

"It's ruined, I just know it!" she whined.

Some time went by. Days and days, Hortense wondered when to retry her Holly planting. Then one day, she spotted something amazing. There, in her apparently ruined Holly garden, was a tiny plant emerging from the ground. That there was a sprout of her English Holly.

Soiled Again

After the sprout grew just a little more, Hortense decided it was time to move the Holly to a better spot, with better soil. She needed a choice of soil types from someone who knew them well. Luckily, one of the other Villagers was just the man for the job. Rock Collector appreciated the earth like no other. He knew his rocks, minerals, soils, formations, and earthen layers well. "I need some soil," Hortense asked him. "Will you help?" "Ah," Rock Collector spoke. "For your Holly, I presume?" "Yup. I'm moving it to a different spot and require optimal soil for Holly growth."

Holly Soil

"What does the Holly need, Hortense?"

"Well, the wonderful thing about Holly is it is very tolerant of lots of soil conditions. Except for stagnant, water-logged soil, but the thing has already survived that one somehow!"

"Excellent. Anything else in particular? Any special preferences?"

"Holly sure likes the acid! It can tolerate a soil pH range from about 3.5 to 7.2. As for the soil substance itself, it likes heavy clay. Doesn't care for too much dryness, but the soil must drain well. Think you can provide?"

Rock Collector laughed. "Do you even have to ask?"

So he went into his massive soil storage to find just the right soil for the Holly. However, just then, an idea came into his head, so he went back out.

"Well?" demanded Hortense impatiently. "Don't you have it?"

"Do you really need it so promptly?" he asked with a smirk.

"Pretty much. I want to get the Holly moved soon, before it gets too much bigger. Holly roots do not like being moved and it can cause problems."

"That's a shame. I don't seem to have the soil type you need."

"What! You just said you were sure you did."

"Well, turns out I was wrong. Don't worry, though. I'll get my hands on some nice, acidic, heavy clay for you."

"Thank you!"

A few weeks later and no further word from Rock Collector, Hortense went to his quarters again. "Do you have the soil I need, Rock Collector?"

"Ah, no. Must have slipped my mind. Yeah, just hang on a bit longer. I'll be sure to get it done this time."

Hortense gave an exasperated sigh. "Please."

A few more weeks passed and still no word on the soil.

"Anything?" she demanded to Rock Collector.

"Why do you want to move the Holly so bad? What's wrong with the spot it's in now?"

"The current spot is too dry and sunny. The area I'm moving it to is a bit moister generally and it is shadier. Holly are happy as understory trees, you know. They're quite humble. Hehehe."

"So I've heard. Meh. Okay. I think I do have your soil after all."

"What! And you've waited all this time? Why didn't you give it to me before?"

Rock Collector shrugged. "Felt like messing with you. It's okay, though. I've got it right in here."

As he disappeared into one of his work rooms, Hortense grumbled. "This poor Holly doesn't stand a chance. It made the mistake of someone attempting to grow it in Science Village!"

Basic Rules

Rock Collector gazed proudly at the big pan of soil he had prepared for Hortense. "Heavy clay. A bit moist. A pH of 5.0. Ah, Rocky, you've done it again!" he commended himself. "Even if you were a total jerk. Hehehe."

He stepped away from his work counter to go check on something. Then someone else sneaked in. Crawled in, rather. Someone who's scaly tail extended above the counter.

"Hehehe," hissed the creature sneakily, standing up on his hind feet and looking at the prepared Holly soil. It was, of course, Reactions Rat. In his right paw, he held a bottle labeled NaOH. "Reactions. Sodium hydroxide makes things basic! Reactions. Hehehe." With that, he poured the contents of his bottle onto the soil, and then crept away totally unnoticed.

Rock Collector finally returned to the prepared soil and took it out to Hortense.

Holly!

Finally, Hortense transplanted her Holly. "Thank goodness!" she sighed, looking at the plant once it was planted all nicely in its new spot, with Rock Collector's prepared soil enveloping its roots. "The Holly seems to have come through the move very well." A few days later, she was checking on the plant again and took a small soil sample from right under it. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!" she shrieked, gazing at a small test paper. Reactions Rat crawled out from behind one of the buildings, snickering. "Something wrong, Hortense?" he asked with a mischievous hiss.

"The soil!" she gasped. "It's supposed to be acidic. Holly needs soil with a pH between 3.5 and 7.2!"

"Oh? Well, what is it now?"

"It's 9.1!"

The Rat shrugged and snickered some more. "Really? I'd have thought a whole 500 mL bottle of sodium hydroxide would do more than just 9.1."

"Sodium hydroxide? What are you talking about?" Then she scowled at him. "Rat! You poured base all over my Holly soil? What is wrong with you?"

"Reactions!" the Rat hissed. "Can't resist the acid-base reactions! Hehehe."

"Oh, you miserable obsessive rodent!" she snapped, rushing off to find an appropriate acid to neutralize the soil.

Over the passing time, Hortense watched, forlornly as her seemingly doomed Holly grew. Planted right before a garden flood. Transplanted much later in its life than it can usually handle. Too basic soil for several days. Hopeless.

Finally, one summer day, as the sharp-leaf branches grew and grew, Hortense couldn't believe what she saw. The Holly had grown a multitude of beautiful creamy white blossoms.

Bees, Birds, and Bunnies

"Whoa!" Hortense reacted one morning when she went to check on the Holly. Bees were all over it! "My goodness, look at all those bees!"

"You don't honestly think that's a problem, do you?" asked the animal care girl, Zookeeper, who was coming up behind her holding her currently empty bee-tank. "And you call yourself a gardener."

"The Holly sure has attracted them in high numbers," Hortense remarked.

"Of course. Look at those sweet-smelling white flowers. Funny to see such innocent little white flowers on a plant whose leaves are so prickly. Is this plant hermaphroditic or dioecious?"

"Holly can be both, although this one is not a hermaphrodite. It is female. Doesn't seem to have any stamens or pollen or anything."

"Well, there you go. You see, I've sent my bees out to find any other Holly in the region. Ones with pollen. My bees were telling the male Holly all about your girl right here, and the other Holly must think she's pretty hot. So they say 'Here, give her some of my pollen' and my bees bring it right back. So they're helping the Holly not feel so lonely."

"That sounds nice. This way, the Holly can produce some beautiful red berries come October."

September and October came through, and Hortense looked upon the Holly excitedly as the little white blossoms were becoming beautiful deep red round berries among the beautiful prickly deep green leaves.

"Oh, no!" Hortense reacted one October morning when she came out to her Holly. Now there were birds everywhere, eating the beautiful red berries. She batted her arms at them. "Shoo! Shoo!"

"They must think those berries look awfully delicious," Zookeeper pointed out, strolling up casually behind the frantic gardener.

"But why? The berries aren't ripe now. They won't be until around the end of winter."

"Birds eating the berries is beneficial, isn't it? Do the berries have seeds?"

"Yes, they do, Zookeeper. I know what you mean. Holly berries each have about four seeds in them. I suppose the birds eat them and then, um, drop the seeds elsewhere."

"There you go!"

But Hortense couldn't help a grimace as Zookeeper's birds ate and ate and ate. At last, the birds seemed to be finished with eating the unripened Holly berries. Then came the bunnies.

"No! No!" Hortense shrieked. Zookeeper must have let her bunnies loose, and they ran right at the Holly. Hortense had come out to find half a dozen little rabbits stripping the Holly's bark.

She scared the rabbits away from time to time, but they just kept coming back. They left eventually, leaving the Holly bark looking very bare.

Christmas Eve

"I give up," sighed a very despondent Hortense, sitting alone in the Village clubhouse. "I suppose that plant was doomed from the start. I tried to grow it just right. I wanted the best Christmas Holly anyone has ever seen."

While she was muttering, Reactions Rat scampered into the room and went to the fridge to find himself a nice big chunk of Swiss cheese.

"What are you all sad about?" he asked her.

"The Holly has been nothing but a disaster, and it's partly your fault!" she snapped at him. "I know somewhere else you can put your sodium hydroxide."

"Aww, don't be like that! I just love my reactions, you know." "Ha! So I've heard. From you. Constantly." "Isn't today Christmas Eve? We're supposed to be happy on Christmas Eve!" "I know. I'm just depressed because of my plant." "Why? Haven't you seen the Holly lately? It is most definitely still alive." "Yeah, probably." "Why don't you go on out there and have a look at it?" Curious, Hortense followed the Rat outside to the Holly's spot.

Holly Leaves All Covered in Snow

The Holly was still its prickly, bushy, deep green self.

"Those birds didn't eat nearly as much of the berries as I thought," Hortense noted, looking over the often at risk yet beautiful plant, whose berries were still in a great enough number that it didn't look like it lacked any.

"You ever stopped to actually look at this plant, Hortense?" Reactions Rat asked her. "Much of your concerns about its biochemistry and weather conditions were based-" He snickered. "Ahem. Based on you wanting this plant to look beautiful and magnificent. Despite all of our, um, input, I'd say it still looks beautiful and magnificent in spite of it all."

With a smirk, Hortense couldn't believe the Rat was absolutely right. Why, this Holly wound up being an even greater Christmas symbol than she'd originally planned on. Aside from the deep red of the berries paired with the deep green of the pointy, sharp leaves, aside from Holly's significant roles in Christian and Celtic lore, this particular individual withstood all damaging obstacles set against it and managed to grow on and on as if totally unscathed.

"Hey, there's my birds!" Zookeeper said while running towards the Holly.

"Huh?" Hortense asked. "Where?"

"They're hiding inside the Holly. The sharp leaves protect them, so they feel safe."

"Wow! This sure does work on so many levels."

Despite it being cold outside, the Villagers looked at the Holly a little while longer until the sun set. It was then they noticed something truly odd. The Holly was glowing in the dark!

"Now that's just cool!" Hortense remarked in awe.

"How's it doing that?!" Zookeeper shrieked.

"All the weird stuff we did to it? Ha!" suggested Rock Collector.

"I'm kind of scared and amazed at the same time!" Hortense said. "And how come no one noticed it glowing in the dark before?"

"Maybe it is just for tonight!" Reactions Rat hissed. "A special Christmas Eve Holly reaction! Hehehe!"

And to that everyone muttered, "Wow."

"Either that," the Rat went on. "Or someone decided it would be fun to inject the Holly with radioactive dye or something. But it's still cool."

With this enduring and now possibly radioactive Holly in their midst, the Villagers were sure to have a very happy holiday! They celebrated happily the following day as they had hoped.

And, somewhere in the world, an Ivy resented being left out of this whole thing. Merry Christmas!

Sources & Other Info

Holly Info (http://www.british-trees.com/guide/holly.htm)
Holly Plant Study (http://www.flowersociety.org/Holly_plant_study.htm)
Ilex Aquifolium Database (http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Ilex+aquifolium&CAN=COMIND)
NC State Trees (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/ilex_aquifolium.html)
Hollies (http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/anr-837.htm)

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