Holly BushesA Grower's Guide to Holly
Holly Types

American Holly

American holly (Ilex opaca) is the classic native evergreen of the eastern United States — a dense, pyramidal tree-shrub with spiny leaves and bright red berries that shine through winter.

The native Christmas holly

Ilex opaca is the holly most Americans picture: matte dark-green spiny leaves and clusters of red berries that persist all winter and feed birds. Left alone it becomes a broad pyramidal small tree of twenty to forty feet, but it takes well to shearing as a tall hedge or screen.

Like nearly all hollies it is dioecious — plants are male or female — so you need a male holly nearby to get berries on a female. One male will pollinate several females within about fifty feet.

Quick tip: for reliable fruit, plant a known male such as Jersey Knight within pollinating distance of your female American hollies, and choose a self-fertile cultivar only where a single plant is all you can fit.

Growing American holly

Give it full sun to part shade and moist, acidic, well-drained soil. It is hardy through USDA zones 5 to 9 and tolerant of coastal and woodland conditions. Prune in winter, when cut branches double as holiday greenery.

Popular american holly

The 8 hollies below are among the most widely grown and dependable in this group. Each profile covers foliage, sex and pollination, berries, size, hardiness, and how to grow it well.