Ilex aquifolium
Holly
Common names: English holly, Common holly
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Pruning
- Feb–Mar
- Flowering
- May–Jun
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Public Domain · Source
Description
The holly, Ilex aquifolium, is one of the few native evergreen shrubs that provides bright green foliage even in winter. Its leathery, spiny leaves protect it from browsing and make it a popular bird‑friendly hedge. The plant is dioecious: only female plants produce the striking red berries after pollination by a nearby male plant. The berries and leaves are toxic, so caution is advised around children and pets, especially when berries fall to the ground. Holly is used as a hedge, specimen plant, or bird‑food shrub in many garden styles.
Care instructions
Holly prefers a semi‑shaded to sunny position in humus‑rich, well‑drained soil and tolerates calcareous soils well. Water young plants regularly for the first one to two years; mature plants cope with dry periods. Prune in late winter or early spring (late February to mid‑March, week 8 to 11) before new growth starts. For abundant berry production, plant both male and female plants nearby; the self‑fertile variety ‘J. C. van Tol’ can be used as an alternative. In the first winter after planting, apply a mulch layer to protect the roots from frost.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringMay–Jun
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, loamy
Holly likes a well-drained, humus-rich soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged. Loamy to sandy-loamy soils with good structure suit it well, and it also tolerates a chalky subsoil. On heavy, compacted soils a portion of compost at planting is worthwhile so that the roots get off to a good start.
Feeding
Light feeder
As a wild woody plant, holly manages with few nutrients and usually needs no targeted feeding. An annual dose of compost in spring is quite enough to keep the soil alive. On sites mulched with leaves or bark mulch, the plant largely supplies itself.
Pruning
Holly tolerates cutting back well and can be shaped in late winter before new growth. A maintenance pruning is usually enough to keep the crown dense and the habit compact. As a hedge it also tolerates harder pruning, but then reliably shoots again.
Overwintering
Holly is hardy here and needs no special protection as an established plant. Freshly planted specimens appreciate a mulch layer over the root zone in the first winter against frost and drying out. In very wind-exposed spots, a winter cover of fleece can protect the evergreen leaves from frost desiccation.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- From seed
- Layering
Propagation is most reliable by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, which root well in well-drained seed compost. Layering also works well if a low branch is covered with soil and forms roots of its own over several months. Sowing from seed is possible, but because of the long seed dormancy it often takes one to two years until anything shows. For berries on female plants, a male plant nearby is also needed for pollination.
For your garden
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Where to get this plant
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