Red and green are synonymous with decorating during the holiday season — and that’s partly because nature is awash in those colors this time of year. No group of plants exemplifies this better than hollies. With their beautiful green foliage and bright red-to-orange berries, these plants aren’t only aesthetically pleasing. Those festively colored berries also provide an important winter food source for birds and other animals. Another wonderful quality of hollies is that they are extremely durable in the landscape, adapting to a wide variety of soil types and drainage situations. Most hollies will grow in sun or part shade. And winter is the perfect time to plant them in your landscape! Hollies are woody ornamental species that belong to the genus Ilex. There are more than 400 species of hollies in the world, 17 of which are native to the eastern United States — and several can be found here in Louisiana. Selection and breeding efforts in recent decades have introduced a wealth of unique cultivars to the market, so there’s a holly out there to satisfy every taste.