Holly Shrubs & Trees - Ilex species - Deep Dive into this Genus

[@doctim53]

Another very helpful video. And,being a night owl, I love when your videos drop.

[@plantvibrations]

I love hearing that! thank you for your support and I'm glad you enjoy the videos each week, that makes me so happy

[@linakhoury6623]

Hi Devin . Thanks for the amazing information about the beautiful holly shrubs . Have a wonderful day .🌿

[@plantvibrations]

I hope you enjoyed it!

[@chawiapachuau3661]

Love learning from you , thanks ! Plants are amazing

[@plantvibrations]

Thank you :) I love the Hollies

[@filomenateresasgaramella5515]

O my gosh. I was waiting for a long time for a video like this. ❤❤❤Love berries and hollies. ❤Very clear and informative video. Would love to know European versions of hollies. What I see around (living in Europe) the variegated one that I love the most but even some of the others. Great explanation. Thanks. 😊😊

[@plantvibrations]

Thank you for watching!! these are some of my favorite plants, they just look incredible all year long

[@OfftoShambala]

I really needed this video right now.

[@plantvibrations]

especially with all the wintery weather, these plants look awesome

[@josheaton3384]

Good video. One big exception to the majority female hollies in nurseries is Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon Holly), which is a great native, deer-resistant holly. Almost all of the dwarf Yaupons in the trade are male: Schilling's Dwarf, Nana, Bordeaux, etc. There are very few female dwarfs, in fact the only consistent one I've found is "Taylor's Rudolph".

[@plantvibrations]

That’s great info! Thank you for adding it in for myself and the community :)

[@josephcirasella5211]

Wow…what an impressive presentation. I have used your information for my indoor and outdoor plants. Thanks Devin. I think you would make an excellent college professor.

[@plantvibrations]

Thank you for that awesome compliment! This video took a lot of time and research so I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it :)

[@larrydus]

Ilex opaca is real winner! Lots of old cemeteries here in Kentucky and southern Indiana have them. The mature trees often have beautiful conical shapes. And the females are loaded with berries. One of the best native ornamental trees that North America has to offer.

[@plantvibrations]

I totally agree! They’re absolute stunners

[@adz5bneweng589]

I think deer resistance is regional, possibly herd specific, as my ilex opaca is severely pruned by deer every single year...but it recovers nicely and stays relatively small (under 4 ft x 4 ft) with minimal pruning. I'm in z5b/6a Massachusetts. Adding that nothing seems deer resistant in spring because the fawns will try everything! And here's a trick I use to protect hosta from deer: take some shrub/tree branch trimmings equal to the height of the hosta at full size plus 5 or 6 inches and no thicker than your pinky finger. Set the cut branches through the hosta in a sputnik-like pattern - just push them into the soil around the base of your hosta. You end up with little spikes sticking out. You'll need at least 6 per hosta, 8 for a big hosta. The deer hit the branch spikes with their noses and back off. Once your hosta has grown in, the spikes are no longer visible. Works a treat!

[@plantvibrations]

I can’t believe they eat yours! Deer eat all my plants but haven’t touched my holly at all! Thanks for the tip for protecting the hostas, I love it

[@subtropicalohioplants267]

Such a beautiful selection of holly shrubs! My only word of caution would be to minimize planting male and female Chinese, Japanese, or English holly for berries, as that is the main pathway for them to become locally invasive. Non-native shrub honeysuckles, privet, and multiflora rose are highly invasive in my area and they are all spread heavily through their berries. Of course they also have other traits that make them invasive, but non-native shrubs producing berries seems like one common denominator. Cultivars of the native Washington and green hawthorn also have showy berries and tolerate alkaline soil.

[@plantvibrations]

Thanks for the comment! we have tons of horrible honeysuckle and multiflora roses here, they are destroying the landscape. I think they tend to be significantly more vigorous than Ilex, but your comment is very worthwhile to consider.

[@jamesbarron1202]

Which Holly would you pick for Texas triple digit temps and summers without a drop of rain and in dry sand? It’s hard on plants in my sandy and rocky location. I’m wanting to plant some strictly for my beehives to feed from. Looks mean nothing to me. Super tough and heavy blooming is my main criteria. The bigger the tree the better also because that equals more flowers.

[@plantvibrations]

Are there any Texas natives? That’d be my suggestion

[@shannonwilhelm5320]

Lowe’s does a great job of carrying male & female Holly’s

[@plantvibrations]

Thanks!!