For generations, gardeners have decked the halls with boughs of holly because of its beloved shiny leaves and bright red berries; however, glossy, glamorous hollies are much more than a holiday favorite, they’re useful, tough, fuss-free, wildlife magnets that add color, form and interest to the landscape all year long. These versatile plants can range in size from a compact dwarf to a towering giant.
Hollies have grown around the world for millennia. In North America, the first fans of the species were native Americans who revered the way these evergreens stood out in the dormant woods. The Holly (Ilex) genus is very popular among both landscape architects and home gardeners. Horticulturists recognize approximately 20 American Holly species, 120 Oriental species, and nearly 200 varieties of the English Holly.
Hollies offer quite a diverse range of plant characteristics. Drought tolerant and deer resistant, they can be deciduous or evergreen, small (18 inches) or large (over 50 feet), and may be rounded, pyramidal or columnar in form. Their landscape uses are just as varied: hollies can be used as foundation plantings, screens, hedges, accent plants, mass plantings or specimen trees.
They’re easily recognized by their spiny leaves. The flowers are generally inconspicuous with sexes on separate plants. It is essential to have both male and female plants in the same general vicinity to insure proper pollination. Poor fruiting on hollies is a problem many gardeners experience. This could be due to poor pollination, young immature plants, high nitrogen levels in the soil, or a late spring frost which injures flowers.
The general culture of hollies is quite simple. Most holly cultivars require well-drained soil and like full sun. Be sure to know the cold hardiness limits of the particular holly, as many are not hardy past zone seven (upper Piedmont area). Good drainage is required, especially on the Japanese (crenata) hollies. Chinese (cornuta) and dwarf yaupon (vomitora nana) seem to tolerate wet feet much better. Plenty of organic matter, especially in sandy soils, will also be helpful. Holly beds should be well-mulched and fertilized with a complete fertilizer to remain healthy. The soil pH should be between 5.0 and 6.0.
Maintenance requirements will include pruning of the vigorous-growing cultivars, and controlling leaf miner, Japanese wax scale, and red mites. Root rot diseases are a problem with several Japanese cultivars.
Screens and Hedges
Because of their year-round foliage, ease of pruning, and generally quick growth rate, evergreen hollies are perfect plants for screens and hedges. Tight growers such as Chinese and Meserve hollies make good hedges, as do English hollies whose spiny leaves provide a useful barrier. For a thick, dense hedge, prune regularly. Don’t forget that most varieties need a male and female plant to bear berries (the ratio is one male for every ten female holly plants).
Also, a point to remember about hollies as foundation plants — while stately and classic, when it comes to fronting the house, they can use a bit of help. Showy only in winter when they flaunt red berries, they look best in spring and summer when paired with flowering deciduous shrubs such as hydrangeas and viburnums, and in winter with other evergreens such as conifers and rhododendrons.
Interesting Specimens
Want to attract wildlife to your garden? Native winterberries (Ilex verticillata) are deciduous hollies (only 30 species compared to more than 750 evergreen species) that lose their pretty leaves in winter. What remains is a breathtaking display of thousands of brightly colored berries clinging to every stem. Leave them unsheared, loose and open, and watch the birds flock. Native to wetlands, these winterberries tolerate damp soils. Most require a male pollinator for best berry set. Where you might use a conifer as a stand-alone, windbreak specimen, consider a holly instead. Tall and impressive all year round, they make a vibrant statement in the winter when not much else is happening in the landscape, and they look especially beautiful under a blanket of fresh snow.
Accent with Containers
From compact varieties that can be sheared into tight balls, trained into topiary or left as tall narrow columns, and some large shrubs that can be limbed-up into tree form, hollies are excellent, shapely, interesting container plants. They hold their own flying solo in a pot, but are also charming underplanted with seasonal color. Use them paired at the front door, as the centerpiece of a garden bed, flanking the edges of a patio, or wherever you need an architectural punch.
For added interest, look for yellow-berried varieties, dwarf forms like “Maryland Dwarf,” male selections such as “Uncle Sam” (a new American holly selection), and extremely cold-hardy ones like “Dan Fenton,” according to the Holly Society of America. Founded in Millville, N.J., in 1947, the organization has now registered 375 cultivars internationally and continues to promote the genus Ilex through its passionate members at public and private gardens, university arboretums and nurseries.
Keep Your Hollies Happy
- They require part to full sun; hollies are not a good choice for deep shade.
- Hollies prefer well-drained, moist, and fertile soil.
- Winterberry and Meserve hollies don’t respond well to shearing — hand prune once a year to keep long branches under control. Other hollies require little pruning but will tolerate the severe pruning required for
- formal hedges and topiaries.
- When necessary, prune in spring to optimize berry production.
- Feed in spring and early fall with Holly-tone or another fertilizer for acid-loving plants.
- Apply a layer of compost under the specimen each spring, spreading the compost out to the drip line (the
- area under the outermost branches). Add a two-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds, keeping mulch a few inches away from the trunk.