You can always find a holly in a size and shape suitable for any landscaping need. The largest hollies will grow to be 60-foot trees, while dwarf ones will creep along the ground, never getting taller than 12 inches.

Browse garden centers and you will see these holly names - English holly, L aquifolium; Chinese holly, L cornuta; Japanese holly, L crenata; Lusterleaf holly, Latifolia; American holly, L opaca; and Yaupon holly, L vomitoria. Most hollies are evergreen but there are deciduous types that offer ruby-red berries perfect for floral arrangements.

Preferring acid soil that's moist but not soggy, hollies are good companion plants to azaleas and rhododendrons, says horticulturist and author Fred C. Galle in his 300-page book, "Hollies, The Genus ilex" ($60, Timber Press, www.timber-press.com).

Hollies make excellent specimen plants and work nicely as massed groupings or hedges for privacy and wind breaks. They tolerate salt spray and air pollution and provide attractive food and shelter for birds. Yaupons are among the more drought-tolerant hollies.

When you are selecting hollies for your gardens, remember they are dioecious, meaning a plant is either female or male. To ensure berries from the females, include a male from the same species for pollination. Your garden center can help you make these selections. Nearby hollies or bee pollination can do the trick.

After all, berries bring holiday cheer!

HOLLY STUFFED STOCKING

To create a stocking filled with holly, greens and painted branches, follow these tips from Jim Mundy of The Golden Strawberry in Williamsburg:

* Select a readymade stocking or make one using colorful fabric in a pattern and colors that will complement your door or wall color.

* Collect branches and spray with white paint or purchase birch branches at a floral or craft shop.

* Clip an assortment of holly and greens from your gardens or nearby woods. Use fresh nandina berries for added color.

* Stuff the stocking's toe and body with plastic or foam peanuts to keep it lightweight.

* Attach rings or a means of hanging the stocking on a door or wall.

* Stuff greens and holly into stocking and place white branches throughout arrangement.

* Finish with tasseled cording for an elegant look or add a colorful bow with long streamers.

HOLLY CONVENTION

* The Holly Society of America will hold its 51st annual convention Nov. 5-8 at the Fort Magruder Inn and Conference Center, Williamsburg. Public invited. On Saturday, you can hear speakers discuss holly hybridization, use of hollies in the landscape, spittlebug damage on hollies and details about Korean hollies, and attend a holly auction of several hundred plants; cost, $55. Sunday offers garden tours, including George McLellan's gardens in Gloucester and a trip to Hog Island see what is believed to be the oldest living holly in America.

For information on the convention, local chapter and society membership, call Peggy McComb in Gloucester, (804) 642-2449, or write Membership Chairman, Colonial Virginia Chapter, HSA, P.O. Box 117, Bena, VA 23018-0117

HOMES TOUR