American Holly
Ilex opaca
Glossy evergreen foliage loaded with red winter berries that robins, bluebirds, and waxwings strip in waves. Dense pyramidal form screens year-round.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Red berries on glossy evergreen foliage in December, bluebirds and waxwings in the canopy. American holly is the definitive winter wildlife tree.
American holly in winter is one of the most striking sights in the eastern landscape: glossy dark green foliage loaded with clusters of bright red berries against a gray December sky. Robins, bluebirds, and cedar waxwings move through in waves, stripping the berries during cold snaps. The birds that find your holly tree will come back for it every winter for as long as the tree stands. Dense, pyramidal form and year-round evergreen foliage make American holly one of the best native trees for privacy screening. Small white flowers in spring are visited by native bees and produce the berry crop that follows. Plant a male and at least one female: berry production requires cross-pollination. The patience it asks for in its first years returns lifetimes of winter interest.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown american holly propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant american holly instead of Native alternative to English holly (Ilex aquifolium). Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 20–40 ft · 10–20 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Spring
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Aquifoliaceae
- Native range
- Eastern United States
Care notes for american holly.
Full sun to part shade, moist acidic soil preferred. Tolerates clay and wet conditions. Plant a male and female together within 40 feet for berry production. Water during establishment. Prune in late winter if shaping is needed. makes excellent topiary or formal screens. Slow-growing but permanent.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside american holly.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.