Very decorative and bright red - the berries of the easy-care holly are a welcome eye-catcher in the winter garden, but also in the Christmas-decorated living room of our English or French neighbors. Unfortunately, these fruits are also poisonous.
Are holly fruits poisonous?
The fruits of the holly are bright red, decorative and very poisonous. Just two to three berries can cause severe symptoms of poisoning in people and pets. However, the berries are an important food for local bird species in winter.
Holly branches as Christmas decorations
If you would like to use the holly as a Christmas decoration, then cut off a few branches with fruit shortly before the holidays. Just remember that holly grows slowly, so don't cut off too much.
The berries are also very poisonous to humans. Make sure that small children cannot reach the berries or put fallen berries in their mouths. Even two fruits can cause severe symptoms of poisoning.
Fruits as winter food for birds
As the pale white flowers wither, the bright red berries slowly form. They remain on the bush well into the winter and only become soft and easy to eat for many native bird species when the frost hits. For them, the fruits are a sought-after winter food, but for other animals they can be a deadly poison. The lethal dose depends on the size of the animal; for a dog, two to three berries may be enough.
A holly hedge
You can plant a very decorative hedge with holly, especially if you combine different species with different colored foliage. The Japanese holly is also well suited for hedge planting. However, the poisonous fruits should also grow out of the reach of small children or pets.
The most important things in brief:
- Fruits very poisonous
- even two berries cause severe symptoms of poisoning
- possibly fatal even for small pets
- important winter food for many native bird species
- very pretty Christmas decorations
Tip
Use holly branches carefully as Christmas decorations and make sure that small children do not put the berries in their mouths.
