Looking so good in the garden is the North American native, Ilex x attenuata ‘Sunny Foster’. This amazing hybrid between two native hollies, Ilex opaca and Ilex cassine, was first discovered in the wild in the 1920s and named Ilex x attenuata ‘Foster #2’. ‘Sunny Foster’ originated in 1964, as a yellow branch sport on Ilex x attenuata ‘Foster #2’, discovered at the US National Arboretum, by noted holly breeder, William Kosar. After extensive trials, it was finally released to the public in 1982. Despite being selected as the 2009 Holly of the Year, by the American Holly Society, I still find it sadly underused. When grown in full sun, the foliage color holds year round, with the old foliage aging to green as the bright new foliage emerges. The red fruit is truly the icing on the proverbial cake. Our specimen, grown from a rooted cutting, is now 26 years old.
