Dallas Morning News – October 14, 2021
Hollies
There are a great many holly choices but some are better than others. Here are the best of this group of excellent evergreen shrubs and trees.
 Deciduous yaupon holly is commonly called Possunhaw and sports orange or red berries on bare branches in winter |
Dwarf Yaupon Holly has small, soft, spineless leaves. No berries. Grows to 3′. Can be kept more compact with shearing. Good replacement for boxwood.
Dwarf Chinese Holly has 3″ leaves with several sharp spines. No fruit usually. Grows about 3′. Good pedestrian and animal barricade plant. Don’t use if you garden barefooted.
Carissa Holly has 3″ flattened leaves with single spines at ends. Similar shrub form to Indian hawthorn. No berries usually. Grows to 3′.
Dwarf Burford Holly has dark green leaves with a single spine. Large, red berries in winter. Grows to about 2′ tall. Very dependable and durable shrub. This is a dwarf form of regular Burford holly which is good too, just bigger.
Willow Leaf Holly is also known as Needlepoint Holly. Similar habit and size as standard Burford Holly, but with flatter leaf blades and a more relaxed habit. Reliable producers of large, red berries.
 East Palatka holly is one of the underused tree form hollies |
East Palatka Holly leaves have only one soft spine at the end. Small white flowers in spring. Red berries in winter. Smooth, light colored bark. Needs good drainage and healthy soil. It has an open, graceful tree form. Height of 15-30’.
Weeping Yaupon Holly grows 10 to 15′. Small leaves like regular yaupon holly and very heavy texture because of the weeping growth. Small bright red berries in winter.
Nellie R. Stevens Holly is maybe the best holly for privacy screening. Dark green leaves and large red berries in winter. Each leaf has several spines, but they are not especially prickly. Grows 15 – 20′ tall. A bit overused because of its toughness.
Yaupon Holly is a large multi-trunked shrub that can be trained into an ornamental tree. Grows 15 to 20′. Female plants bear huge numbers of small, red berries. No spines on leaves. Smooth gray trunks.
Possumhaw Holly has deciduous leaves similar to regular yaupon. Growth habit similar to tree-form crape myrtles to 12 to 15′ tall. Medium-sized orange or red berries on female plants only. Variety “Warren’s Red” has larger, redder fruit.
Luster Leaf Holly has large evergreen leaves to 4 – 8″ in length. Upright growth to 20 – 25′. Small yellow flowers followed by brick red berries on female plants.
 Wirt L. Wynn Holly is a dramatic large growing holly |
Wirt L. Winn Holly is an excellent cultivar with a dense structure and excellent foliage color. Beautiful big leaves and berries. Excellent for cut flower arrangements. Should be used more often.
Savannah Holly is an upright holly tree to 25′ that has a spectacular show of red berries in the winter and small white flowers in spring. Several soft spines on each leaf. Like most hollies, it grows significantly better under an organic program.
For more details on my plant recommendations see my Texas Trees book.