Holly

Description

Crawford Nursery carries many varieties of Holly for your landscaping needs:

American Holly

American Holly is an evergreen shrub with a growth habit of up to 75′ tall and 15′ to 20′ wide.  Flowers are dioecious and large red fruit that is very attractive.  Every once in a while in the wild, a plant will have yellow fruit.  Leaves are rectangular and up to 3″ long.  This is a native tree.  Leave it on the site, if found.  Is definitely best used as a tree and hardy from zones 5 to 9.

Brilliant Holly

Brilliant Holly is an evergreen that grows 10′ to 20′ tall in a pyramidal shape unless pruned. Leaves are shaped like a Christmas tree with 3 to 5 pairs of spines on the margin and are less than 3″ in length.  New growth is green.  Female cultivar with big red fruit in winter.  Use as a corner planting, hedge or screen.  Is drought tolerant and hardy to zone 7 (through Tennessee).

Carissa Holly

Carissa Holly is a slow growing compact and round tropical hedge plant with glossy dark green foliage above and olive green beneath that grows to a height and spread of 3-4′.  This is an excellent formal shrub for grouping, accent or specimen use.  May be used in foundation plantings; requires no care when established.

• Evergreen shrub
• Full sun or part shade
• Soil:  Tolerant
• Moisture:  Medium
• Pruning:  None
• Growth Rate:  Slow
• Pest problems:  Scale
• Zones:  6-9

Compacta Holly

Biggest selling Japanese holly.  New twig growth is purple.  All male plants so there is no fruit.  Needs to be watered.  Is used as a foundation planting.  Grows in full sun to part shade.  Japanese hollies are not drought tolerant.  Excellent foundation plant.

• Flowers:  Staminate.  Male Plant.
• Grows 3′ to 5′ tall.
• Alternate Leaves:  Flat, widest above the middle, and taper to the base.  Less than 1/2″ long.  Dark Green.  Crenate serrate leaves.
• Full sun or part shade
• Not drought tolerant
• Excellent foundation plant
• Hardy to zone 6

Dahoon Holly

Dahoon Holly is an evergreen shrub that grows 15′ to 20′ tall.  Flowers are dioedious with long narrow light green leaves up to 4″ long and red fruit up to 1/4″ in diameter.  Native to Alabama.  Has a grey trunk.  Is not in the trade.  Hardy to zone 7.

Dwarf Buford Holly

Dwarf Buford Holly is an evergreen shrub that grows 6′ tall.  Leaves have more single spines and small leaves up to 2″ in length.  Top of leaf is bumpy.

• Evergreen
• Flowers:  Pollygamo dioecious.  Partially self fruitful.  Every plant potentially can have fruit.
• Can be used as a foundation planting or screen
• Tolerates sun or shade
• Drought tolerant
• Hardy to zone 7

Dwarf Chinese Holly

Dwarf Chinese Holly is an evergreen that grows 3-5′ tall with polygamo-dioecious flowers.  Fruit is red, but not easily seen because it is usually hidden by the foliage.  Leaves are alternate with 5-7 spines (3 terminal, 2 basal and 2 on the sides).  Terminal spine is turned down.  Puckering between the veins.  Looks like George Washington’s hat as pictured in the famous painting of him crossing the Delaware River.  Is drought tolerant.  Will grown in sun to part shade.  Hardy to zone 7-9.

Dwarf Horned Holly

Dwarf Horned Holly is an evergreen that grows 2-3′ tall and 3-4′ wide with a compact, rounded form and a coarse texture.  Foliage:  glossy light green with white flowers and red fruit. Prefers sun or partial shade and is tolerant to moist soil.  Slow growth rate.  May be used as accent or foundation, hedge or container plant.

Dwarf Yaupon Holly

Dwarf Yaupon Holly is an evergreen that grows 3-5′ tall and wide.  This plant is hardy from Tennessee (zone 7) south.  Has grey twigs that are stiff.  There are many cultivars, but they are all hard to tell apart.  Is drought tolerant and can be used in full sun to part shade.  Most plants do not have fruit.  It is used a lot as a foundation plant.

• Brows from 3′ to 5′ tall and wide
• Leaves:  Alternate and serrated with rounded tips and less than 1/2″ long
• Drought tolerant
• Funn sun to part shade
• Hardy from Tennessee (zone 7) south

Emily Brunner Holly

Emily Brunner Holly is an evergreen that grows 7-12′ tall with large red fruit that is very showy.  This plant transplants well and is becoming more popular.  The cultivar ‘James Swan’ is the male counterpart used mainly for breeding purposes.

• Grows 7′ to 12′ in height
• Flowers:  Pistillate.  Female Plant
• Fruit:  Large red fruit that are very showy
• Leaves:  Alternate.  Up to 5″ long and 2″ wide with rounded tip.  The margins of the leaf are nearly parallel.  Coarse spines all the way around the leaf.  Dark green above and light green below.
• Transplants well

Green Luster Holly

Green Luster Holly is an evergreen that grows 3′ tall and 3′ wide with dioecious flowers and elliptical leaves that are flat and less than 1/2″ long.  This plant is the cold hardiest of all Ilex crenatas.  Can have black fruit on some of the plants even though it was released as a male selection.

Helleri Holly

• Flowers:  Staminate.  Male plant.
• Grows 1′ to 3′ tall and 3′ to 5′ wide
• Leaves:  Serrated margins with yellow britle tip on the end.  Up to 1/2″ long.
• Not drought tolerant (needs lots of water)
• Hardy to Pennsylvania.  Male plants, so there are no fruit.  Has green twigs that are flexible. 

Hetzii Japanese Holly

Hetzzi Holly is a female evergreen plant that grows from 3′ to 5′ tall with pistillate flowers and big convex leaves up to 1″ long with black fruit.  This plant is not drought tolerant and needs to be watered.  A good foundation plant.  Hardy to zone 5.

Hybrid Holly, PATRIOT™ Holly

Hybrid Holly or PATRIOT™ Holly has plentiful red berries and a dense pyramidal form.  It’s glossy medium-sized leaves are oval, coarsely spined and dark green.  They are matte and purple-gray when they first emerge in spring.  Its new stems are also purplish and turn yellow-green by late summer.  It is selected as a seedling from a hybrid cross between Mary Nell and Nellie R Stevens.  Normally hollies have either male or female flowers, but Patriot™ has both.  Still, it is not self-fertile and requires a male-flowered plant for pollination and fruit set.  It’s bright red fruits are fully colored by fall and remain beautiful into winter.  The profuse berries are enhanced by purple-hued young stem tips and leaf bases.

• Grows 12′ to 15′ high and 8′ to 10′ wide
• Blooms late spring
• Fruit:  bright red in fall and winter
• Moisture:  Well drained soil, but pefers acid loam
• Full or partial sun
• Fast growing
• Zones 6-9

This holly accepts most well-drained soils, but prefers acid loam.  It grows most densely in full or partial sun.  Too much shade results in leggy growth and sparse foliage.  It is a fast growing plant that is perfect for tall hedges, large planters, shrub or mixed borders.  It’s foliage is excellent for holiday decorating.

Japanese Holly

Japanese Holly is a dense, slow growing, broadleaf evergreen shrub that is native to northeast Asia.  The small shiny dark green leaves resembles those of boxwood.  The tiny white spring flowers are not ornamentally significant.  Japanese Holly grows best in well-drained moist, slightly acidic soil in full sun to light shade and benefits from an organic mulch such as pine needles or shredded bark.  In hot, dry or windy sites, it is prone to leaf scorch and mite infestations.  It takes well to pruning.  The formal upright habit of this cultivar suits it for use in a low hedge, rock garden, mixed border, foundation planting or container.

• Grows 4′ to 5′ tall and 2′ to 4′ wide
• Blooms:  Late spring
• Full sun, partial sun or partial shade
• Not drought tolerant
• Good foundation plant
• Zones 6-9

Jersey Pinnacle Holly

Jersey Pinnacle Holly is a dense, slow-growing broadleaf evergreen shrub native to northeast Asia.  This plant is valued for its compact pyramidal habit.  The small shiny dark green leaves resemble those of boxwood.  The tiny white spring flowers are not ornamentally significant.  This plant grows best in well-drained, moist slightly acid soil in full sun to light shade and benefits from an organic mulch such as pine needles or shredded bark.  In hot, dry or windy sites, it is prone to leaf scorch and mite infestations.  It takes well to pruning.  The formal upright habit of this cultivar suits it for use in a low hedge, rock garden, mixed border, foundation planting or container.

• Broadleaf plant
• Grows 4-6′ tall and 2-4′ wide
• Blooms late spring
• Full sun, partial sun or partial shade

Mary Nell Holly

Mary Nell Holly is a female evergreen plant with pistillate flowers and a growth habit of probably 12′ or more in a pyramidal shape.  Leaves are pyramidal with many coarse spines and is shiny green, very stiff and comes to an attenuated tip up to 3″ long.  Has good fruit in the winter.  Because this is a new cultivar to the market, not much is known about it.  Has lots of fruit and hardy to zone 7.  Is fibrous rooted.

Needlepoint Holly

• Flowers:  Pistillate.  Female Holly
• Fruit:  Large and red
• Grows 6′ tall
• Leaves:  Long accuminate tip with a single spine.  No puckering between the veins as dwarf buford does.  Up to 3″ long.  Alternate leaves.
• Hardy to zone 7

Nellie R. Stevens Holly

Nellie R. Stevens Holly is an evergreen shrub that grows 8′ to 20′ tall.  Leaves are scattered spines (1 to 6) and tends to be twisted.  Have an opaque margin that is not prominent.  Margins turn under and the veins on top are easily viewed and indented,  Up to 4″ long.  Will grow in sun or shade, is drought tolerant and fast growing.  Easy to transplant and pyramidal shape if not pruned.  Young twigs are angular and yellow. Fibrous rooted, so it transplants well at any size.  A popular landscape plant.

• Grows 8′ to 20′ tall
• Leaves:  Scattered spines and tends to be twisted
• Sun or Shade
• Drought Tolerant
• Fast Growing
• Transplants well
• Hardy to zone 6

Oakleaf Holly

Oakleaf Holly is an upright holly evergreen shrub with emerald-green foliage that resembles oak leaves.  Like other hollies, Oakleaf serves well as a yard hedge, whether formal or informal.  It has a medium growth rate and reaches a mature height of about 15-20′ with a spread of 6-8′.  It is hardy in zones 6-8 and grows best in full sun with moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic.

• Grows 15-20′ tall and 6-8′ wide
• Medium growth rate
• Moisture:  well drained soil
• Full sun
• Zones 6-8

Ponder Holly

Pondor Holly is an evergreen shrub that grows 3-5′ tall and wide.  Flowers are polygamo-dioecious.  Partially self fruitful with large very attractive red fruit.  Leaves alternate with 3 to 5 spines and a rectangular shape.  Can be grown in sun or part shade and is drought tolerant.  Very good plant, but not commonly available.  Hardy to zone 7.

Roundleaf Japanese Holly

Roundleaf Japanese Holly  is a male evergreen plant that grows up to 5′ tall.  Flowers are staminate and leaves are not convex – widest in the middle and up to 1″ long.  Has no fruit and has been pushed out of the market by Compacta.  Not drought tolerant and hardy to zone 7.

Sky Pencil Japanese Holly

Sky Pencil Holly is a unique form of Japanese Holly with lustrous dark evergreen leaves typically of the species with small, solitary, dull greenish-white flowers in May to June, in leaf axils of current season’s growth and a berry-like, dark puple drupe fruit, 1/2″ in diameter, ripening in September to October.  Sky Pencil has a naturally narrow and fastigiate growth pattern.  Grows 10′ tall and approximately 2.5-3′ wide at maturity.  Prefers light, moist but well-drained, slightly acid soils in either sun or shade.  Transplants easily and needs no pruning to maintain growth habit.  Chlorosis may occur if soils are too alkaline.  This plant is effective as a single specimen; dense, narrow hedge; mixed with other evergreen and deciduous plants.  Well suited for urban gardens and smaller spaces which demand a strong vertical accent.  Excellent for formal spaces or foundation plantings.

• Grows 10′ tall and 2.5-3.0′ wide
• Habit:  Tall, multi-stemmed, narrowly fastigiate, evergreen shrub
• Flowers:  Female selection.  Small, solitary dull greenish-white flowers in May to June
• Foliage:  Lustrous dark evergreen leaves
• Fruit:  A berry-like dark purple drupe, 1/4″ in diameter, ripening in September to October.  Inconspicuous.
• Prefers light, moist well-drained soil
• Needs no pruning
• Transplants easily
• Roots easily from semi-hardwood cuttings taken in mid to later summer

Soft Touch Holly

Soft Touch Japanese Holly is a delicate dense, low compact, mounding shrub with a dark green foliage that is soft to the touch.  This is a great plant that could be used to replace Helleri.  It is drought tolerant, adapts to many soil conditions and it cold hardier than the Helleri.  Little or no maintenance makes it an excellent choice for foundation, borders, or where a small hedge is needed.  Fertilize in spring with an all purpose fertilizer before new growth begins.

• Grows 2′ tall and 3′ wide
• Fast growing
• Low maintenance
• Drought and cold tolerant
• Moisture:  average water and wet soil/wetland
• Transplants easily from containers
• Nice compact low growing shrub
• Attracts Songbirds
• Full sun

Weeping Yaupon Holly

Weeping Yaupon Holly is a small tree that can grow 8′ to 15′ tall (sometimes 30′ tall), but only 4′ to 6′ wide with a weeping form.  Has stiff branches and grey stems with small shiny bright red fruit.  Can have leaf roller insect problems.  Fertilize in spring with an all purpose fertilizer before new growth begins.

• Grows 8-15′ tall (sometimes 30′) and 4-6′ wide
• Fruit:  small shiny, bright red fruit
• Leaves:  Alternate and serrate with rounded tips less than 1″ long
• Drought tolerant
• Hardy to zone 7

Yaupon Holly

Yaupon Holly is a small evergreen tree that grows 15-25′ tall and 10-15′ wide.  This plant contains flowers contains dioecious and shiny small red fruit that looks like they have been shined.  Leaves have serrated margins with rounded tip (no bristles) and are light green less than 1″ long.  Tree has grey twigs and is very brittle (don’t use in public places).  Likes sun or part shade and will tolerate moist conditions.  Ingestion of the fruit and/or leaves will cause vomiting.  A native small tree that is very drought tolerant and hardy to zone 7.

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Inventory changes on a daily basis, so please understand that some items may not always be available and some items may be in stock or available that are not listed on our website.

Call us at 205.640.6824 or stop in to browse Crawford Nursery and greenhouses to see our current inventory and the full variety of flowers, plants, shrubs and trees.   Drive a little, save a lot!