CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Christmas is coming. At least that's what it looks like in the stores. With that in mind, I'm planting a few new holly varieties. I love the waxy, shiny, spiky leaves of the traditional holly, and I have several specimens that have been growing happily in our yard for more than 20 years. Although not the optimal time to cut, growth-wise, I (and my friends) trim them around the holidays every year, providing branches and twigs for many centerpieces and wreaths.

I added a Sky Pencil Holly to the corner of the house, and it fits nicely behind the deciduous red twig dogwood. I've heard mixed reviews of the Sky Pencil, so I'm anxious to see how it behaves in my yard.

In my research of different holly types, I've found a few to add to our repertoire of traditional bushes.

Ilex crenata'Dwarf Pagoda' is an attractive dwarf, with small-leaved form, and its annual growth is 2 inches. It has black berries, and I have it in a bed that has lots of other dwarf evergreens. There are a few other dwarf varieties, Ilex crenata'Lemon Gem' and Ilex'Rock Garden' that I want to add.

There's a great place online to get these little gems: www.tinytreasurenursery.com.

Another couple of interesting hollies are Ilex aquifolium'Angustimarginata Aurea' and Ilex aquifolium'Silver Queen' -- both have purplish stems.

A deciduous holly, Ilex serrata, has little red berries and short leaves. Another interesting type to consider.

A lot to choose from -- it will be fun!

More holiday information

Speaking of Christmas, those catalogs are pouring in, touting "gifts for gardeners." Among the typical amaryllis bulbs, paperwhites and small evergreens, I spotted an attractive gift plant from White Flower Farm.

Jasminum polyanthum is a handsome, subtropical vine with dark green leaves that provide a perfect backdrop for its January display of fragrant white flowers. The website says jasmine plants grow best in bright, indirect light and cool room temperatures. A nice alternative to the usual flowering holiday offerings.

Butterflies everywhere

Dawn Combs, of Charleston, is a monarch butterfly aficionado. She's writing a blog, found at www.wvmonarch.blogspot.com to share her knowledge, stories and photos. It's very well researched and the photos are beautiful.

Here's an excerpt from Dawn's blog, about planting monarch-attractive plants.

"If you plant Asclepias curassavica, they will come.

"Asclepias curassavica, or tropical milkweed, is a favorite plant of monarch caterpillars. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on the plant. The caterpillars munch on the leaves, building up toxins in their bodies that makes them distasteful to predators. Asclepias tuberosa, or butterfly weed, is also a preferred plant of monarchs, although I have seldom seen a monarch caterpillar on A. tuberosa. In previous years, however, my A. curassavica plants were teeming with monarch caterpillars.

"An annual in West Virginia, tropical milkweed is a hardy, drought-resistant plant with attractive bloom clusters in colors ranging from yellow to red. In May 2010 I tried to find tropical milkweed at Charleston-area nurseries, but my efforts proved fruitless. Eager to create a monarch way station, I purchased the plants online from LiveMonarch[.com]. This year I ordered 30, with a goal of establishing enough plants to create a monarch way station habitat.

"I planted 20 milkweed plugs in mid-June and shared the rest with friends and neighbors. By August my butterfly garden had enough milkweed plants to sustain monarch caterpillars, thus qualifying my garden to be registered as a monarch way station through Monarch Watch. I spotted our first monarch caterpillar on Aug. 17."

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.