The Best Hollies
In the Garden with Andrew
Andrew Bunting. Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
We are fortunate to live in the mid-Atlantic region, one of the best places for growing hollies and home to the largest diversity of hollies in the United States. Hollies are part of the genus Ilex, which comprises over 400 species worldwide and hundreds, if not thousands, of cultivars. Locally, in the coastal plain from the Delaware Valley east to the New Jersey shore, native species include the American holly, Ilex opaca; winterberry, Ilex verticillata; and the inkberry holly, Ilex glabra.
When we picture hollies, we think of the classic evergreen leaves and red berries typical of both Ilex opaca and the English holly, Ilex aquifolium. But that iconic holly look is also seen in many other species and hybrids. Here in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and surrounding areas, we are just on the edge of where English hollies thrive. Many selections can be grown, but they will need winter protection. (English hollies prefer the mild winters and generally cooler summers of the Pacific Northwest.)
If I could choose only one species of holly for my garden, I would have to select the winterberry, Ilex verticillata, which, unlike most hollies, is deciduous. Winterberry is native across the entire Eastern half of the United States. In the wild, it often grows on the edge of streams and lakes, which makes it great for poorly draining areas of the garden. This multi-stemmed shrub can reach up to 15 feet tall and may form a thicket over time. In the fall, its small, shiny, red fruits ripen. Generally, birds leave the fruits alone until the fall and winter, but the American robin and grey catbird are known to feast on them.
‘Winter Red’ is an outstanding cultivar of the winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata. Photo: Andrew Bunting
Among varieties of winterberry holly, ‘Winter Red’ is the best of the best. It reaches about 10 feet tall and is often covered in berries from mid-September all the way until the following March. All hollies are “dioecious,” with distinct male and female plants, so you will need a male pollinator (which will not have berries) to get your female hollies to produce. ‘Southern Gentleman’ will pollinate both ‘Winter Red’ and ‘Winter Gold’, which has abundant salmon-orange fruits. ‘Maryland Beauty’ is another exceptional red. So is ‘Red Sprite’, a diminutive form reaching 4 to 5 feet tall that needs the male pollinator ‘Jim Dandy’.
The American holly, Ilex opaca, is one of the toughest broadleaved evergreen plants we can grow. Most cultivars become tree-like and can ultimately reach 50 feet, with a tight pyramidal habit. In general, the American holly is characterized by dark green leathery leaves with spine-tipped edges. Good fruiting cultivars include ‘Dan Fenton’, ‘Jersey Princess’, ‘Satyr Hill’, and a more shrub-like selection called ‘Maryland Dwarf’. Good male pollinators include ‘Jersey Knight’ and ‘John Wister’.
English hollies differ from the American holly in their glossy, shiny leaves. Because they are not fully hardy here, a good substitute is the Koehne holly, Ilex x koehneana, a hybrid between Ilex aquifolium and the larger-leafed Ilex latifolia. Exceptional cultivars include ‘Wirt L. Winn’, ‘Lassie’, and ‘Martha Berry’, with ‘Ajax’ and ‘Loch Raven’ being good male pollinators.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Medal selection Red Beauty is a hybrid holly from Rutgers University that has the attributes of an English holly but is hardier and more compact, reaching only 7 to 10 feet at maturity, with a tight pyramidal habit. Other relatively new introductions include Little Red, which reaches only 5 feet in height and spread, and Liberty, which grows up to 12 feet tall.
All the evergreen hollies can be pruned in late winter or mid-summer to keep a more manicured pyramidal habit, but pruning is not required.
Reader Question
Q: I always wonder how proximate pollinators need to be. I don’t know which plants are wind-pollinated and which are insect-pollinated, and therefore I also wonder about pollinator placement on that ground.
A: Usually just one male in the vicinity of the female hollies (those that produce berries) will be adequate. In general, I would plant just one plant of a male pollinator within 15 feet. Because the male pollinator lacks berries, you can tuck it away in a less prominent part of the garden. Hollies are mostly pollinated by bees. In general, avoid using any chemical-based insecticides that might cause the death of bees and other pollinators.
Send your gardening questions to editor@swarthmorean.com. Put “Garden” in the subject line.
Andrew Bunting is vice president of public horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and vice president of the Swarthmore Horticultural Society.
