Evergreen Hollies

From pyramidal trees to tidy shrubs, these plants have a multitude of garden uses

The bare credit ofhollybrings to mind conical trees with spiny leaves and redberriesin winter . That prototype is valid , but I have it away evergreen hollies because they are , in fact , so much more diverse than that . They range in size from a 6 - inch - tall scatter dwarf to a 70 - foot - tall loom giant . leave of absence may be small and wishy-washy or magnanimous and armed . Berries can be cherry-red , orange , yellow , or dark . Hollies are one of the few genus that can be develop in all 50 states .

For more on Holly , tally out ourplant guide .

Wondering how to snip your holly plant?Read more .

Evergreen hollies at a glance

Ilexspp . and cvs .

( EYE - lek )

At theScott Arboretumat Swarthmore College , where I am the conservator , I take full advantage of the versatility of this genus . I utilise specimen hollies as focal points , as foundation plantings , and as privateness screen and hedging .

Specimens combine good foliage and great berries

A specimen flora is one that is unusual enough to put up alone in a landscape . When place alone , a specimen holly can be used as a focal point to draw interest to an area . When repeated several times throughout a landscape , specimen hollies can bind a garden together . Unusually attractive hollies can also be grouped to serve as a backcloth for a more intricate planting .

Several evergreen plant hollies that combine attractive leaf with abundant , coloured yield make in effect specimen plants . A few English holly ( Ilex aquifolium ) cultivars offer great range in flora size , yield color , foliation shape , and variegation . ‘ Rubricaulis Aurea ’ offer strikingly variegated forest - green and emollient leaf . ‘ Peter ’s ’ has brick - ruby fruit and have the least winter damage of all the English hollies in the botanical garden .

The Altaclere holly ( Ilex×altaclerensis ) is the quintessential tree holly . It has lustrous dingy - immature leaves like those of the English holly , but the Altaclere holly suffers much less from winter legal injury . Its comparatively big , shining - red berries counterpoint nicely with the deep - unripened foliage . This pyramidal Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree achieve from 20 to 30 feet tall at maturity . One excellent cultivar is ‘ James G. Esson ’ .

Dotted through the gardens at the Scott Arboretum are many forms and hybrid of American holly ( I. opaca ) that are suitable of note . Perhaps the finest fruiting selection of all the American Buddy Holly is ‘ Old Heavy Berry ’ . It becomes hard laden with brick - red , pea plant - size of it berries descend wintertime . The yellow yield of ‘ Boyce Thompson Xanthocarpa ’ makes it an fantabulous specimen holly , whereas ‘ John Wister ’ is notable for its emergence wont . This manlike cultivar flaunt disgraceful - green leafage on the tightly knit branches that make up its pyramidical human body .

The longstalk holly ( I. pedunculosa ) does n’t look like a typical holly . The leaves are not spin around but rather have fluent , undulating edges that taper at the oddment . It is foretell the longstalk holly because the pedicle ( the stem that have got the Chuck Berry ) is much foresighted than that of other species . The combination of the spineless foliage and the fruit exhibit on farsighted stems take a crap for an refined works . Though the growth habit of the longstalk holly is somewhat lanky , with limb that grow in random directions , this habit makes it a good plant to espalier on a rampart or fencing .

Some hollies function well in foundation groupings

If you walk around your neighborhood , you ’ll sure enough see the quintessential American interpretation of a foot planting : a single quarrel of the same species of industrial plant , normally ill suit to the site . I hesitate to categorize holly as foundation plants for fear that they will be submit to the same destiny . I ’m not suggesting that theater do n’t benefit from plants placed around the base , but a successful origination grouping should have a complement of shrubs ( both deciduous and evergreen ) , perennials , and some large flora to anchor the house to the landscape . Some evergreen plant Charles Hardin Holley are utter choice for the type of foundation grouping I ’m suggesting .

The racy holly ( I.×meserveae ) combines the glossy leaves and red fruit of the English Buddy Holly with the hardiness of the Tsura holly ( I. rugosa ) . The result hybrid is a comparatively unfearing shrub with English holly attributes . low Angel ® , Blue Maid ® and Blue Princess ® have scarlet fruits , while Golden Girl ® has yellow berries . Selectively prune these shrub to keep them at the trust peak for a foundation garment planting .

Excellent lynchpin plants for a institution planting let in the Red Holly ™ hybrids . These hollies , which sport beautifully glossy , spined leave , are just coming on the market . They includeI.Cardinal ™ ,I.Festive ™ ,I.Little reddened ™ ,I.Oak Leaf ™ , andI.Robin ™ . Ranging in ripe pinnacle from 10 to 15 feet tall , they make respectable corner plant life because they do n’t overpower the house .

Create privacy with a holly hedge

Because of their evergreen plant nature , ease of pruning , and generally quick growth charge per unit , hollies are the arrant plant for screening and hedging in the garden . If you are suppose a large hedge , considerI.×aquipernyisince it reaches between 20 and 25 feet at maturity . This fast - mature tree diagram with spiny leaf quickly grows into an impenetrable mass . The leaves face like pocket-size triangles with a shrill vertebral column on each power point .

One of the bestI.×aquipernyicultivars for a average - sizing hedging is Dragon Lady ® because it reaches only 15 feet at maturity . episodic pruning will keep these hedge hollies tidy without give them an overly formal appearance .

A more loose handling can be accomplished using the inkberry holly ( I. glabra ) . It has narrow , lustrous , unspined leaves and tiny fateful fruit . The narrow foliage make a much ok texture than that of many other hollies . ‘ Densa ’ will attain 10 foot magniloquent at maturity , while ‘ Shamrock ’ will stay under 5 metrical foot .

For a shorter hedge , the best selection is the Japanese Charles Hardin Holley ( I. crenata ) . While this coinage is by far the most ubiquitous of all the Holly ( and arguably overdrive if not misuse as a institution planting ) , it does have great lotion for screening purposes . The leaves are flyspeck and disconsolate green , it is rapid ontogeny , and it is well sheared into any shape . A comparatively new , very upright selection is ‘ Sky Pencil ’ . Also offering an just drug abuse but give more width than ‘ Sky Pencil ’ is ‘ steed ’ . For a more mounding riding habit , ‘ Helleri ’ , ‘ Convexa ’ , and ‘ Green Lustre ’ are excellent .

Plant a male and a female for best berry set

The Scott Arboretum was doom an prescribed Holly Arboretum by theHolly Society of America . Each year , we appraise every specimen in our collection for aesthetics , winter impairment , and pest and disease problem . After 15 long time of evaluation , Charles Hardin Holley seem to be relatively trouble spare in Philadelphia ’s USDA Hardiness Zone 6 mood .

Charles Hardin Holley are dioecious , which mean that plant have either male or female prime . For proficient pollination and fruit production you need a female ( or berry - producing plant ) and a male ( or pollen - producing plant life ) within 30 to 40 feet of each other .

Most evergreen hollies thrive best in full sun . The Japanese , American , Koehne , and longstalk holly will grow in shade , but produce significantly more yield when grown in Lord’s Day . Most hollies prefer a well - drain , slimly acidic land that is high in organic matter . Inkberries will grow in slightly moist soils .

Pruning is necessary only if you want to restrict your holly to a certain configuration or size of it , or if you are growing a hedgerow . Shaping can be accomplished by removing the tips of the current time of year ’s growth during late summer , fall , or wintertime . To rejuvenate a holly , “ chapeau rack ” it in late winter by cut back the branches by one-half to three - quarters of their length . The remaining plant life will have few leaves and look like a hat rack , but in spring it will flush out with unexampled foliage from all the pruning cut . In two to three years , it will be to the full covered in leave-taking . Hat racking will lead in a plant much abbreviate in sizing , but still full of foliage .

The best hollies for the landscape

While the growth substance abuse and size of some holly dictate that they be used as specimen plants in the landscape , other eccentric are more at habitation in foundation groupings and as hedging plants . Here are a few of the source ’s favorite Holly for the uses described .

Ilex aquifolium‘Peter ’s ’

Ilex aquifolium‘Rubricaulis Aurea ’

evergreen holly

I.×meserveaeBlue Angel®

Ilex pedunculosa

Ilex opaca‘Old Heavy Berry ’

Ilex opaca‘Boyce Thompson Xanthocarpa ’

Blue Angel holly

I.×meserveaeBlue Angel®

Andrew Bunting is conservator of the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore , Pennsylvania .

Photos , except where observe : Mike Courtney

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