Plant ID card
| Botanical Name | Ilex aquifolium. |
| Common Name | Holly, common holly. |
| Origin | Southern and Western Europe, Western Asia, North Africa. |
| Size | Holly can generally grow up to 6 m high and 4 m wide. However, some multi-hundred-year-old specimens can reach a height of 25 m! |
| Foliage | The foliage of holly is very characteristic for most varieties. It is composed of oval leaves whose edges are composed of sharp spines. They are between 5 and 10 cm long and have a beautiful bright dark green colour. |
| Flowering | In spring, small white or pale pink flowers appear in clusters. |
| Fruiting | Once pollination has taken place, the small fruits, usually bright red, appear on the female hollies. They measure about 5 mm in diameter. |
| Exhibition | While holly is a shrub that thrives in the undergrowth, it can also be planted in a sunny location. However, it is best placed in partial shade in warm regions. Holly thrives in humid atmospheres. |
| Ground | Holly is easy-going. It adapts to all types of soil although it has a preference for light, humus-rich, cool and slightly acidic soils. |
| Rusticity | -15°C |
Resistant, hardy, low-maintenance and with foliage that is both evergreen and original: holly is a shrub with many qualities! It can also be planted in isolation, on slopes and even as a hedge in order to find its place in all types of gardens.
Where to plant holly in a garden?
Location. Holly is very decorative, whether planted in beds or in isolation. As a thorny and robust shrub, holly can also be used to make defensive hedges. While it can adapt and grow well in a sunny location, holly prefers shade. And if you live in a hot region, it is particularly recommended to reserve a semi-shaded area for it to protect it from too much heat. It should be noted that holly is a very resistant plant that can be planted anywhere since it tolerates spray or pollution well.
Ground. Easy to live with and resistant, holly adapts well to all types of soil. However, it prefers to be planted in light, cool, humus-rich soil.
When to plant holly?
Holly is often propagated by spontaneous sowing or by birds that consume the berries and then digest the seeds. Copyright (c) 2020 slowmotiongli/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
Holly is generally planted in spring or autumn, outside the frost period. However, spontaneous sowing or sowing by birds that consume the berries and then digest the seeds is also common.
How do you plant holly?
If holly is a plant that easily reseeds on its own, it is also possible to plant it. Here are the different steps to follow to plant a holly ball in your garden:
- Dig a hole about twice the diameter of the root ball to be buried and then place a layer of compost at the bottom;
- moisten the root ball of the holly before putting it in the ground;
- cover the holes with a mixture of soil and potting soil;
- Water regularly, until the roots are well established.
How do you take care of holly?
Holly requires little maintenance once its roots are firmly in place. Copyright (c) 2020 Danita Delimont/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
Maintenance. Resilient and undemanding, holly requires little maintenance once its roots are firmly in place. You just have to make sure to water it regularly in summer in case of high heat. Also, it can be interesting to carry out a training pruning at the end of winter in the first years in order to give it a beautiful bushy habit.
Diseases. Holly is not prone to diseases and pests. It can sometimes be the target of insects such as aphids, holly maggots and leafminers. Above all, it is necessary to act quickly to get rid of them effectively and naturally.
Which species of holly should I choose?
There are a large number of different varieties of holly, offering a nice diversity when it comes to foliage colors and even fruits. Here are our favorites:
- The Argentea Marginata holly (Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Marginata') is distinguished by its columnar growth habit and the coral-red colour of its fruits.
- Silver Queen holly (Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Queen') is very decorative with its beautiful variegated foliage, dark green in the centre of the leaves and cream around the edges.
- The J.C. Van Tol holly (Ilex aquifolium 'J.C. Van Tol') is distinguished by its original foliage. This is because it is composed of thornless leaves that are elliptical in shape.
Are holly fruits eaten?
Although the red berries that grow on holly are very popular with birds, they are not edible for humans. Indeed, they can cause digestive disorders such as vomiting, and even dizziness.