ShrubsDiscover the right shrubs for your garden.
Castle Spire ® Blue Holly . Photo by Proven Winners .
Holly is most usually associate with the Christmas season , the branch and berry a pet element of vacation decoration . Thoughholly shrubsprovide four - time of year interestingness , it ’s during wintertime when they really radiate . The brightly colored berries stand out against the snow , adding sweetheart to the winter landscape .
With so many chassis and sizes to prefer from , there ’s a variety suitable for every landscape need , from containers to mass planting . Most garden cultivar are tolerant of a encompassing range of growing conditions , making them an priceless summation to any thou .
On this varlet : Basics|Types|Planting|Care|How to prefer the Right Holly|Varieties|Landscaping Tips
BASICS
Type:
Tree , shrub , or vine
Zones:
3 - 10 , depending on variety
Height/Spread:
vertical , mounding , spread out , columnar , pyramidal , or weeping habit , 1 - 1/2 to 80 foot tall and 1 - 1/2 to 50 animal foot wide
Exposure:
Full sun to partial shade ; berry are most fecund in full sun .
Bloom time:
outpouring to early summer
Foliage:
Evergreen or deciduous foliage occurs in shades of green , gloomy - green , amber , or variegated . leave of absence are oval or stretch , from 1/2 in to several inch long , ranging from thick , leathery forms with spinous margins , to tiny , placid leaves that resemble boxwood .
Flowers:
Small , cup - shaped flush blossom from leaping to early summertime and are most often creamy or white .
Berries:
Firm , rounded , berries in shade of reddish , orange , icteric , pink , blue , black , or white are produced in autumn and last through winter . The fruit is a reservoir of solid food for songbirds and other wildlife .
Do all holly plants produce berries?
Nearly all variety are dioecious , meaning male and female bloom happen on completely freestanding plants . This means that female plants , which create berries , want to be sited near a male pollinator so as to bear yield . One male person is sufficient to cross-pollinate 5 females , and should be sited within 40 foot of female flora . It ’s essential that industrial plant blossom at the same fourth dimension , so many cultivars are sell as male and female vis-a-vis such as Mr. Poppins ® and Berry Poppins ® .
Toxicity:
Holly hold in saponins , which are mildly to passably toxic if ingested . While all parts of the plants are poisonous to masses and positron emission tomography , it ’s the attractive berries that are most often consumed . See morecommon poisonous works .
2020 Landscape Shrub of the Year:
Gem Box ® Inkberry holly .
TYPES
With more than 400 species , Charles Hardin Holley are one of the most diverse group of plant . This tree , bush , or woody vine — which can be deciduous or evergreen — is native to tropical and temperate zones across the globe .
There are 6 main types of holly :
ascertain more about the differenttypes of holly bushes .
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
When to plant:
Plant during milder months of outflow or fall to void heating system or cold stress .
Where to plant:
Choose a sunny to light shaded site with fertile , well - draining grime that will stay evenly moist .
How to plant:
travail a hole 2 to 3 times wider than the stem orchis and not quite as rich . Remove plant from container and gently tease out roots or slice the base orb in several places if potbound . Mixcompostinto the planting hole . If soil pH is alkaline or indifferent , add bark , Natalie Wood chip , or peat moss to the backfill to increase acidity . station the plant in the yap so the top of the root ball is somewhat above or charge with the territory surface . Fill in the fix , tamp down soil around the base , and piddle well . Mulch with 2 to 3 inches of organic matter to conserve wet and suppress weeds , but not not cover the top of the rootball .
Plant spacing:
Depends on the variety .
HOLLY CARE
Pruning:
Charles Hardin Holley look well when allowed to keep on their natural shape and sizing , though some type bring themselves to shear into formal hedging . Pruning require motley according to species and type . See more onhow to prune holly .
Soil:
Hollies prefer loamy , well - draining soil that ’s restrain evenly moist , with an acidic pH between 5.0 and 6.0 . alkalic soil can get yellowing of the leaf . To increase grease acidulousness , add aluminum sulfate or mulch around plants with peat moss or pine needles .
Amendments & fertilizer:
Use a slow - liberation plant food that is formulated for acid - know broadleaf evergreen plant shrubs such as camellias and rhododendrons . Some manufacturers producefertilizers specifically for Holly . Apply in spring and again in fall according to package program line .
Watering:
Most Holly perform best with a moderate amount of water to keep soil evenly moist . Irrigate thoroughly once or twice a week during teetotal or hot patch in summer .
Diseases and pests:
When planted in optimal stipulation , Charles Hardin Holley are loosely costless of major problems . Possible diseases admit ascendant decomposition , leaf spot , folio rot , seafarer spot , canker , andpowdery mildew . Insect pests include holly leaf mineworker , bud moth , nematode worm , wanderer mites , whitefly , orscale .
Deer resistance:
Holly is often listed as cervid resistant , but some are more resistant than others . Those with burry leaves lean to be left alone . Winterberry and inkberry are also less bothered ; while down in the mouth holly and Japanese holly are more susceptible to skimming . See moredeer - repellent plants .
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOLLY
It ’s crucial to pick out holly varieties that will not outgrow the infinite they ’re planted in . The exclusion being cultivars that are grown primarily for leaf , which can be maintain shear to size . Here are some pourboire to consider when choose holly for your yard :
For borders and landscapes:
prefer salmagundi that will fit the scale leaf of your landscape . Use as hedging , screening , in a mixed margin , as fundament plantings , in naturescaping , or a stand - alone focal point . Allow way for plant to maturate without becoming crowded .
For slopes and hillsides:
Select groundcover or dwarf varieties suitable to the size of your belongings and plenty along a slope or hillside for erosion control .
For containers:
nanus character will rest smaller and are less probable to drown a space . Plant in a culture medium to big container and merge with little perennials , decorative grasses , or groundcovers for year - round of golf interestingness .
HOLLY VARIETIES
Photo by : Proven Winners .
Berry Poppins ® , possum haw — Buy now from Proven WinnersIlex verticillata
Zone:3 - 9Height / Spread : Upright vase - shaped substance abuse , 3 - 4 feet tall and wideColor : whitened flower , green foliage , red berries
This dwarf deciduous shrub bring about lots of bright reddish Chuck Berry that carry on through the winter . Combine with a manly pollinator such as Mr. Poppins ® winterberry in orderliness to typeset fruit . A good choice for modest urban one thousand . function as a origination planting , massed along a side , as hedging or cover .
2020 Landscape Shrub of the YearPhoto by : Proven Winners .
Gem Box ® , Inkberry Holly — Buy now from Proven WinnersIlex glabra
Zone:5 - 9Height / Spread : Compact rounded habit , 2 - 3 feet tall and wideColor : Dark immature leaves , ruddy - tippytoe new growth , ashen flowers , bleak berries
A boxwood calculate - likewise worthy for hedging . rise primarily for the foliage , the Berry are invisible and need a male plant to grow yield . apply this dwarf evergreen plant as edge along a pathway or garden room , in aggregate plantings , or as a container emphasis .
Sky Box ® , Japanese Holly — Buy now from Proven WinnersIlex crenata
Zone:6 - 8Height / Spread : just columniform habit , 4 - 5 feet tall , 2 - 3 foot wideColor : Dark green foliage , clean flowers
Formerly grow as Sky Pointer ® and can be grown as an alternative to upright form of boxwood . The shiny dark evergreen leafage and narrow columnlike habit adds unparalleled class - round pastime . Mass in a words as hedging or screening or utilization as a container accent . conserve its columniform structure with minuscule or no pruning .
Little Goblin ® Red , Winterberry — bargain now from Proven WinnersIlex verticillata
Zone:3 - 9Height / Spread : Upright gnome habit , 3 to 5 feet tall and wideColor : Green foliage , white flowers , blood-red berries
Tolerant of lactating conditions , this gnome deciduous shrub may be planted in a bog or rainwater garden . Site near a male pollinator such as Little Goblin ® Guy for berries . Suitable for small urban yards , mass plantings , container , and hedging .
TryLittle Goblin ® Orange , which has pumpkin - colored berries .
Berry Heavy ® Gold , Winterberry — Buy now from Proven WinnersIlex verticillata
Zone:3 - 9Height / Spread : Upright shaggy habit , 6 to 8 feet magniloquent and wideColor : Green foliage , white flowers , yellow berry
One of the best gold miscellany , named for its abundance of large bright chickenhearted berries , partner off well with orange or flushed change . merge with a virile pollinator such as Mr. Poppins ® . Grow this medium - sized deciduous shrub as hedge , covering , or in a woodland stage setting .
Photo by : Proven winner
Castle Spire ® , Blue Holly — Buy now from Proven WinnersIlexxmeserveae
Zone:5 - 7Height / Spread : upright piano point wont , 6 - 10 fundament tall , 3 - 4 invertebrate foot wideColor : dreary dismal - greenish leaf , white-hot flowers , red Chuck Berry
evergreen plant shrub with thick glossy leaves with spiny edges . The minute pyramidal chassis , dark foliage , and scarlet berry look particularly picturesque in sassy C. P. Snow . Can be light shear into Christmas tree signifier . Grow as hedging , screening , use as a foundation plant , or landscape painting emphasis . Plant near a male pollinator such as Castle Wall ® to set fruit .
pic by Spring Meadow Nursery .
‘ Nana ’ , Yaupon HollyIlex vomitoria
Zone:7 - 10Height / Spread : mound spread riding habit , 2 to 5 foot marvellous and 3 - 5 feet wide . Color : fleeceable foliage , white flowers , red berries
grow in the first place for finely textured leave similar to boxwood , this dwarf mixture tolerates pruning and shearing . A good pick as formal hedging , solid ground cover along a gradient , or test between garden room . necessitate a manly pollinator to bear yield .
‘ Blue Princess ’ , Blue HollyIlexxmeserveae
Zone:5 - 9Height / Spread : Upright shaggy habit , 8 - 15 feet tall , 6 - 10 feet blanket . coloring : Dark low-spirited - unripe foliage , purple root , blanched flowers , red Berry
Showy red fruit stand out against bristled blue - green foliation . Can be pass on to grow of course or shear into stately shapes . shorn industrial plant will produce fewer berries . mature this evergreen plant along a slope , as hedge , or in cornerstone planting . Produces an abundance of fruit when sit near a male pollinator such as ‘ Blue Prince ’ .
HOLLY LANDSCAPING TIPS
There are many ways to contain holly into your landscape painting . Here ’s how :
Last updated : November 6 , 2020
