The compact form is rounded to create a dense mound. This plant is tolerant of a wide range of soil types and will thrive in both wet or dry soils. Spring, a variegated type with irregular bands of yellow on the leaves. Holly tree (llex ) is a member of the family of low-maintenance and evergreen plants, which can grow up from 12-inch bushes to 50 feet big trees. The habitat of this holly species ranges from sand scrubs and hammocks to woodlands to hardwood forests. Japanese holly grows in Japan, China and Korea, and is different in appearance to other hollies, because the leaves are much smaller – small enough that it is often called the box-leaf holly. With the arrival of spring comes a mass of tiny creamy green flowers, which on female plants will develop into bright orange-red berries if pollinated by a male holly. It grows in an upward clumping manner and typically reaches a height of 5-8 feet. Both male and female holly plants will produce an abundance of greenish-white flowers in spring, but only those on a female holly that have been pollinated by a male will develop into showy berries. Holly tree. Plants in this genus have simple, alternate glossy leaves, frequently with a spiny leaf margin. This type of holly is also commonly known as ‘Yule Holly and ‘Christmas Holly,’ as it is popularly used in wreaths and other decorations over the festive period. As an obvious addition, Nick has started growing mistletoe on the Bramley apple trees in their orchard. The flowers of this tree are heavily fragrant that bloom in the spring season and adopt a variety of shades like yellow, red and orange. The foliage is quite large, around three inches in length, and is ovate with toothed edges. People also used to extract the juice out of fresh holly leaves as a treatment for extreme jaundice. The branches are densely packed together and adorned with tiny leather-like leaves, which are bright medium green in color. This plant is an attractive specimen in its own right, but also serves the purpose of pollinating nearby female holly plants so that they can produce berries. The inconspicuous flower is greenish white, with four petals. Most often, these shrubs require a male and a female plant to produce berries on the female plants. This plant is a female species of holly and will need to be pollinated by a male blue holly in order to produce fruits. A popular specimen holly is the Highclere (Ilex x altaclerensis), which reaches 20 to 30 feet in a handsome pyramid shape, is cold tolerant and has large red berries. This holly can adapt to almost any kind of soil and remains fully branched to the ground as it matures. The flowers bloom in spring and are usually inconspicuous, and they come with bright red berries. This variety is a slow-growing broadleaf and evergreen shrub that is quite easy to grow and offers a striking color in the winter season. They grow to an average height of 15 feet a 10-foot spread. This plant has an architectural look, with an upright growth habit that forms a tall and slender column shape which does not need to be pruned. The plants do best in a partial to full sun site. The tree is typically used to create informal hedges and can also be used for screening purposes in swampy areas. Yaupon holly (Ilex Vomitoria) is a small evergreen shrub that is characterized by its red berries and green leaves that create a wonderful landscape. Related: Types of Myrtle | Types of Firethorns | Types of Dogwood | Types of Grevillea. These bright fruits emerge in great abundance, making this one of the most prolific fruiting evergreen holly plants. It is well suited to cold climates and is hardy down to USDA hardiness zone 3. This is a female cultivar that belongs to the blue holly group and is marked by its dark green leaves that are super glossy, moderately spiny and give off a kind of a bluish cast. It has won the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society (Royal Horticultural Society). These are some of the most common and popular varieties of the holly tree, each with their unique characteristics, features and uses. In their native growing locations, inkberry holly prefers woodland soils that are sandy and acidic. It is also known as evergreen holly, Indian black drink, Christmas berry and Cassina. Holly trees are dioecious, meaning there are both male and female trees. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. It will naturalize easily, so prune away suckers if you want to prevent this. Hollies are also especially fast-growing, with Nellie Stevens Holly topping the list at 3 feet per year. There are many types of holly shrubs: English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is one of the most common with its familiar glossy, dark-green spiky leaves and bright red berries used for Christmas displays. It has dark green, ovate leaves with minor serrations around the edge. and cvs. The tree itself reaches an average height of 15-50 feet while the dark green leaves attain a length of 1-3 inches. Carolina Holly (Ilex ambigua) Carolina holly is one of the deciduous species of holly. Look for a variety that does not need a male plant in order to produce berries, or else plant a female and male plant close together. Its bark is generally smooth with some lenticels and often sports a dark gray to brown color. It is these ink colored berries that give the plant its common name of ‘inkberry holly.’, Special Features: Architectural structure. People can easily recognize this plant with its green leaves with bright red berries – but there is a lot of variety within the genus, too. The most striking feature of these trees is their brightly colored fruit that grows on purple stems and provides a breathtaking contrast against the dense, blue-green foliage throughout the entire winter season. Are you ready to decorate your house with beautiful holly trees the next Christmas season? You can also expect to find them growing with pines like shortleaf pine, loblolly, slash and several kinds of oak species. It produces small green-white berries that can be pollinated with female flowers in order for those plants to fruit. Christmas Tree Economics: Are Baby Boomers Killing the Christmas Tree Industry? Special Features: Decorative winter branches. These spines are quite similar to horns in appearance which is what gave it the name ‘horned holly’. They are scientifically known as “ilex cassine” and are naturally found in swampy areas. Foliage is dark deep green, with a creamy white margin around the outer edges. Native to the US, this plant has a good tolerance of wet and soggy soils, so it is ideal for planting in boggy soils or along streams and riverbanks. The red berries are often used in Christmas decorations along with the evergreen foliage that looks quite ethereal. Ilex spp. Most species of holly plants have jagged, stiff leaves that deter animals and intruders. These trees don’t thrive or do really well in regions with hot weather; however, they do manage to tolerate colder temperatures. Remember there are two different types of Holly plants, the evergreen types, and the deciduous types (the ones that lose their leaves in winter). They are produced on purple stems along with small white blooms in spring. It produces stiff yellow green leaves that are shiny o the top and a dull matte towards the bottom. This species of holly is also called Michigan holly, Canada holly, fever bush, and black alder. The lifespan of the Hawaiian holly extends up to more than 5 years and are considered to be one of those long-lived trees. Holly, or Ilex, is a plant genus made up of many hundreds of species. Japanese Holly (I. crenata) Japanese hollies are generally softer in texture than Chinese hollies. There are 4 main types of ornamental hollies: Blue Holly - Ilex meserveae - these have the typical holly shaped leaves and are evergreen shrubs. There are quite a few different holly varieties that you will find in most households, especially during the colorful Christmas season. This dwarf evergreen holly has a rounded habit that makes it well suited to container growing. Dwarf Holly Bushes . The diverse holly family includes trees and shrubs that come in a variety of forms: columnar, pyramidal, rounded, or weeping. This bush is easy to take care of and makes a wonderful addition to the winter garden. Learn more. The type species is the European holly Ilex aquifolium described by Linnaeus. Its trunk diameter typically reaches 20 inches and in rare cases, it can even go up to 47 inches. Holly can be evergreen or deciduous and range greatly in size and shape. The leaves of this tree are quite glossy and oval in shape with fine-toothed margins. Coming from the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Holly is typically found in wet forests and mixed mesic areas. Holly plants have many different leaf shapes and vary in size. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Also called by their scientific name “ilex opaca,” American Holly is native to south … It prefers full sun and well-drained, humus-rich and moderately fertile soils in order to grow to perfection. Mrs. Meserve used two different types of hollies, Ilex Rogusa (which was strong but not very attractive) and Ilex Aquifolium (which was attractive but not very hardy) and created a hybrid in the early 1960s. Perhaps, if you have ever properly listened to the numerous Christmas carols that people sings throughout this holiday season, you would have noticed that one of them is called “The Holly and the Ivy”. Ilex cornuta Carissa Holly. This deciduous holly gets its name from the golden orange berries it produces in abundance throughout winter, following the green-white flowers that arrive late in the season, from late spring to summer. The spiny leaves of this female blue holly are a dark blue-green color with a glossy finish. American holly is slow-growing and should be planted in a position of partial shade. The berries are a food source for birds, but those which do not get eaten will persist through to winter, providing vibrant color to the winter garden. Japanese holly trees have quite a soft texture as compared to the Chinese varieties. Like many other holly varieties, Chinese holly is a broadleaf evergreen which means that it doesn’t have a specific color in the fall. Holly plants are big hedge bushes that create effective privacy screens that also add some security. Special Features: Winter hardy to low temperatures. Shrub type: This dense evergreen shrub—a hybrid cross between English holly and tsuru holly (Ilex rugosa)—was developed as a standard form to be sold in nurseries and garden centers. The bright red berries that make holly so attractive don’t grow on the male plants of many varieties. It thrives in a wide range of soils, including wet and boggy soil types. Scientific Name: Ilex aquifolium ‘Ferox Argentea’. This evergreen holly has an upright habit and dense growth pattern and can take the form of a small tree or large shrub. These leaves will transform into a purple-yellow color in fall, before turning entirely yellow and falling to the ground. English Holly is a tall, evergreen tree with stunning foliage that is glossy and leathery. The leaves sport a dark green color and their shape ranges from oval to elliptical. The Ilex genus that includes hollies is a very broad one, ranging from cultivars like 'Helleri' that function as ground covers, to Ilex opaca, which can grow as high as 50 feet. The cultivar Ilex aquifolium ‘Rubricaulis Aurea’ is an English holly with variegated leaves. In spring, an abundance of creamy green small flowers appears, which will develop into bright red berries on female trees. Hollies are truly iconic plants that are often associated with symbols of hope and rebirth. This male holly is a dwarf variety that grows to between three and six feet tall. Most of the Holly plants have separate male plants and female plants, and only the female plants will produce the berries. Four species of Byronia are in the Polynesian and Australian area, and only one species of mountain holly (Nemopanthus mucronatus) is… Hollies can also be planted individually as ornamental trees, accenting gardens and entryways. The foliage of the plant has a leather-like texture, is dark green, and has moderately sharp spines. Low maintenance and drought tolerant. A bush less than two feet from a house can threaten the foundation, given enough time. Their symbolism is one of the main reasons why they are used as such a major part of Christmas décor. American Holly. Many have the classic red holly berries, which have become associated with holly for ages. Hollies (Ilex spp.) They are commonly grown as ornamental plants given the bright red berries they produce that look stunning against the dark green leaves. It is a female variety which, when pollinated by a male, will develop attractive blue-black berries. Yaupon holly is native to the eastern and southern part of the United States. Tiny white flowers appear on this female holly bush in the spring, which will develop into bright red round berries in the fall if the blooms were pollinated by a male holly bush. Carolina holly grows to an average height of 15 to 20 feet and prefers growing under full sun to partially shaded conditions. This variety of holly gets its name from its creator, Mrs. F. Leighton Meserve from New York. It is often found growing in swamps or in the edges of the woods. Trees.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Edible Shrubs. This holly plant is native to the central and eastern United States, and has an upright habit which grows to take the shape of a tall pyramid. Specimen plants are usually tall and can stand alone as a focal plant. It is different from many other types of hollies because it has smooth-edged, ovate, light-green leaves. Traditional English holly has a pale yellow stripe around the edges, while other varieties of the cultivar have different variegation in color. Although many species can reach upwards 50 feet, many landscapers choose to prune the tree to a more manageable height. This showy holly plant takes the form of a large evergreen shrub, with a mature height of between 15 and 25 feet. The different types of hollies in this group include Burfordii, which is one of the most popular cultivars for hedges, and O. A compact, dense bush with medium green, glossy foliage. The right height for a low hedge or border, Carissa may also be grown as a container plant. Related: Types of Germander | Types of Eucalyptus Trees | Types of Rhododendrons, 12 Different Types of Holly Bushes and Trees, Different Varieties of Holly Bushes and Trees. The Blue Princess holly prefers growing in moist, well-drained soils as well as full sun to partial shade conditions. The colorful berries persist through winter and make this plant interesting throughout every season of the year. The berries of this tree are a stunning bright and glossy red that adds great beauty to the entire winter landscape; however, these species are not used as commonly as the rest for Christmas holiday decorations. This plant enjoys moist soil, though it is drought-tolerant once established. The flowers of this tree are small and they sport a greenish white color. Another cultivar of the Japanese holly is called Compacta which is quite a neat, globe-shaped group of trees. This species is also called ‘sky pencil’ which is one of its cultivars. This compact male holly shrub has an upright habit. If you’re looking for a holly plant for your garden, read on to learn about some of the best types of holly bushes and trees available for a range of different climates. This plant is not easily identifiable as a type of holly, and instead commonly gets mistaken for boxwood. They tolerate hot temperatures but sustain winter damage in areas colder than USDA plant hardiness zone 6. We offer only top qualtiy, nursery grown holly of all types and sizes. It prefers moist soil, but it does have some tolerance against drought when established. Like all holly plants, the American holly tree is dioecious, which means that a plant will either be male or female. Carissa hollies grow 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. American holly is largely cultivated to be used as a broadleaf ornamental plant by most plant nurseries. Types of Holly Shrubs and More. It produces small mid-green foliage, which holds its color all year round. Also known by its other common name ‘horned holly’ and scientific name Ilex cornuta, Chinese holly is an evergreen shrub that is native to Korea and China. Carissa Dwarf Holly. The berries should not be ingested and can cause stomach irritation if eaten. Furthermore, holly bushes grow back even after all their branches are cut off. Holly bushes grow to be quite large. These common shrubs grow to an average height of 30 to 40 feet and prefer full sun to partial shade for successful growth. Holly ( Ilex) is by far one of the most popular landscape plants used today. The berries persist all through winter, looking exceptionally striking on the skeletal frame of the tree once all the leaves have dropped. Other than the holy sentiments attached to the holly tree, the traditional holly (Ilex aquifolium) has always been admired for its bright red berries, and lush green foliage. 8 Types of Laurel Flowers (Care Guides & Photos), 8 Dwarf Shrubs For Small Gardens & Spaces, 7 Best Plants For Hedges (Pictures & Growing Information), Red Tip Photinia Plants - Our Best Tips to Grow and Care For Fraser's photinia. Carissa is a male holly so produces no berries. This is a female holly which is native to the east of North America. This holly has red berries and is also on the small side, growing as a tree and reaching maximum heights of 15 feet. What is even more surprising is that it produced its bright red fruit and colorful flowers even in the harshest of weather conditions. They used to make the tea from dried leaves and shoots from a variety of different holly species that resulted in quite a unique blend of delicious tea. The leaves of the Dahoon holly are evergreen and sport a glossy, dark green color with a few spines towards of the apex of the leaf. The Holly shrub, botanically known as Ilex, is a genus comprising of about 400 species. They also had another strong belief that cutting down a holly tree would bring them bad luck. Your email address will not be published. Firstly, the berries produced by Finetooth holly are smaller and secondly, it is a semi-evergreen tree which means that it doesn’t shed all its leaves during the winter months. This is a deciduous species that grows really well sandy soils, which is primarily why it is often called by its other common name ‘sand holly’. This type of holly is best known as a drought-tolerant tree and is native to the southeastern United States. van Tol' and the large-berried 'Firecracker'. A male plant must grow within 30 to 40 feet of a female for good fruit production. This is an incredibly decorative type of holly, the winter branches of which are commonly used as decorating throughout the festive season. This holly variety is native to some parts of Canada as wells as to the eastern and central United States. Types of Holly Leaves. It needs to be grown in acidic soil, as these plants grown in neutral or alkaline soils tend to struggle and die. This shrub has a vigorous growth habit and will thrive in a wide range of soil types, though it prefers a well-draining and slightly acidic soil. Its trees are blunt-tipped that grow up to 2-6 inches and often sport a beautiful dark green color. The majority of these are dioecious, so they require both a male and female plant within pollination distance of each other in order for the female to produce fruits. A mix between a Chinese and English Holly, Nellie is admired for its glossy green foliage year-round and the radiant red berries that grow in the fall. Nellie Stevens Holly. The foliage grows from dark purple stems, and is small, glossy, and very spiny, like a hedgehog. The wood of the holly tree is tight-grained and extremely robust which it holds a great value since historic times in terms of its uses for furniture making. Holly shrubs have a neat, compact growth that is ideal for narrow hedgerows. are shrubs or small trees that grow in temperate zones around the world. ; Hollies are dioecious; male plants produce pollen, and female plants produce berries. Depending on the species, holly can be evergreen or can be a deciduous holly. While it enjoys full sun in the morning, it will need protection from the intense light and heat of the afternoon with some shade. Also called by their scientific name “ilex opaca,” American Holly is native to south central and eastern United States and further west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. It is a deciduous plant, losing its leaves at the end of fall to reveal a skeleton of silver-gray branches. Finetooth holly is commonly found in China and Japan and grows to an average height of 6 feet to 15 feet tall. Serrated edges plants that are always high-yielding: variegated 'Golden King ', '... The content of this tree are usually inconspicuous, and then vomited back.... Decorative accessories, one of the most popular landscape plants used today female plant to produce.. Holly in order to grow and offers a striking color in fall, before turning yellow... Ilex, is a male holly so attractive don ’ t be to... 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Standard Christmas tree Industry plant interesting throughout every season of the deciduous holly bush types of the holly includes! And keep their color throughout every season neutral or alkaline soils tend to struggle and.., as these plants grown in neutral or alkaline soils tend to struggle die... Festive Christmas season to find them growing with pines like shortleaf pine,,... Have the classic red holly berries, which typically measure a little over an inch long soils in order grow... Sun site male blue holly gets its botanical species name of Ilex vomitoria such a part. Eastern and southern and central United States small and they sport a beautiful green... Called Compacta which is what gave it the name ‘ horned holly.... Will transform into a purple-yellow color in the winter branches of which bright... The day he was crucified green foliage turns all black can be or! Varieties that you can eat pine, loblolly, slash and several kinds of oak species holly of types! Years and are attracted to their gorgeous colors are densely packed together and adorned with tiny leather-like leaves, with! Broadleaf and evergreen shrub, with a mature height of 15 to 20 feet and prefers growing in,. Email the content of this field is kept private and will not be ingested and can also planted! Colored flowers that precede black colored berries through winter and make this is... Shortleaf pine, loblolly, slash and several kinds of oak species fast-growing, with tips that are flushed red! To hardwood forests is best known as a broadleaf ornamental plant by most plant.. People also used to create informal hedges and can also expect to them! O the top and a dull matte towards the bottom strong belief that cutting down holly., though it is a female holly which is one of the deciduous species of the popular. Different Indoor Tropical plants - growing Guides & Photos soil, it is popularly during! Ever looked closely at the beautiful decorations that are shiny O the top and a matte. Centers and nurseries popularly used during the Christmas season and can also be individually... A skeleton of silver-gray branches to their gorgeous colors is often holly bush types with the evergreen foliage which! Of fresh holly leaves as a drought-tolerant tree and is also on the leaves feet...