How to Grow and Care for English Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

Ilex aquifolium

English, aka common, holly (Ilex aquifolium) is native to Europe, north Africa, and western Asia, and its sprigs are spiny, glossy green or variegated, and full of wreath-ready red berries in winter.

It’s got the looks you think of when “The Holly and The Ivy” pours forth from the radio and has been featured on many a Christmas card and school child’s holiday coloring page.

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It is the essential holiday holly in England, and some of us gardeners in the States prefer its looks to those of our own American holly, which isn’t quite as bold.

English holly is not as cold-hardy as the American type, nor does it thrive in hot weather. It grows best in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 9.

And it can be invasive, thanks its ability to be propagated when animals carry the seeds hither and yon, and also by runners when growing wild.

It’s listed as invasive in some parts of California, Oregon, and Washington, for example.

If you’re ready to add English holly to your landscape, this guide will provide all the growing details.

Here’s what to expect:

A flowering evergreen, English holly is one of 560 species in the Ilex, or holly, genus. This is the only genus in the Aquifoliaceae family.

Like other holly species, I. aquifolium is dioecious, which means separate male and female plants are required to ensure pollination and the production of berries.

I. aquifolium has glossy foliage that’s usually dark green and the leaves have thorns.

Some cultivars are grown primarily for their variegated foliage, while others are prized for the red berries that can remain on the plants from November through March.

They also produce inconspicuous, white, scented flower clusters in spring and early summer.

These attract pollinators, though only the females yield the berries that draw songbird diners, particularly in the barren winter months.

As a plant that’s tolerant of air pollution, it does well along roadsides or in urban areas.

But keep in mind that it may not be suitable for spaces that get a lot of foot traffic, since those spiny leaves are sharp!

Left to their own devices, these hollies tower over the landscape.

They are classified as “slow growing,” at just a few feet a year, but will eventually reach mature heights of 30 to 50 feet.

Full-size I. aquifolium plants require plenty of space, so they are best grown as specimen trees, or part of a hedge of hollies planted side by side.

Sprigs and boughs make a festive addition to wreaths, swags, and winter floral arrangements.

Young, potted evergreens make appealing additions to indoor or outdoor holiday decor.

How to Grow

An important growing tip for these hollies is to always plant one male (within 50 feet) per every eight females if you’d like the plants to produce berries.

Bees will often travel long distances to pollinate flowers.

Plant I. aquifolium where the plants will receive six hours of full sun per day, or choose a location in part shade.

They’ll tolerate even more shade but they won’t grow as quickly, or produce as many flowers or berries, with less sun exposure.

English holy can’t tolerate too much heat or direct sunlight, and will benefit from afternoon shade in warmer climates.

These evergreens also require protection from wintry gusts, particularly when they are young. 

Choose a protected area, or build a wind barrier for the first couple of winters after transplanting and wrapping them with burlap.

Don’t allow the material to touch the plants, as this can cause damage. Remove it after the bouts of cold, gusty winds have ceased in the spring.

Also be sure to choose a spot with well-draining soil. These evergreens can thrive in average soil as long as it’s somewhat acidic, preferably with a pH between 3.5 and 6.8.

Consider a soil test to check out your pH ahead of planting.

If needed, you can work a two-inch layer of peat moss into the top foot of soil to increase acidity, or follow the directions on the package to apply garden-grade aluminum sulfate.

Be sure to provide ample spacing – plant at least five feet apart to create a hedge, and 15 to 25 feet apart for specimen trees.

If you plan to prune your holly for size, it will need a bit less space, about 10 feet between it and the nearest neighbor as long as you prune for airflow as needed.

In the beginning, these evergreens need more frequent watering in the absence of rain.

It’s best to water them deeply every day for a week after you’ve transplanted if the weather is clear, and then switch to twice a week until the plants are well established.

After that, they’ll still need weekly watering when the weather is hot or dry, about two inches total. Check precipitation levels with a rain gauge.

Cultivars to Select

There are two main types of I. aquifolium that are extra appealing.

The first are the ones that produce berries in addition to the leathery, glossy leaves, while others are celebrated mainly for their variegated foliage.

If you’re a fan of the foliage and you’re okay with potentially skipping the show of berries, there’s no reason to worry about planting both male and female specimens.

Two of the cultivars I recommend here are English holly hybrids that have been bred with other species to provide better cold hardiness or a shorter stature.

There are a few cultivars of other holly species that are genuinely parthenocarpic, meaning they will produce fruit without the need for pollination, but none of them are English holly.

Here are three popular options to consider:

Argentea Marginata

A variegated English holly, this cultivar will produce scarlet berries if planted within 50 feet of a male and may possibly be pollinated by an I. opaca (aka American) male specimen.

Many choose this cultivar for the beauty of its dark-green leaves that have off-white edges. This variety grows 15 feet or taller, and spreads eight to 12 feet.

Dragon Lady

A hardy hybrid, I. x aquipernyi ‘Dragon Lady’ is a cross between I. aquifolium and I. pernyi, and this narrow variety grows 20 feet tall and spreads six feet.

A female plant, ‘Dragon Lady’ has abundant bright red berries and tough, sharp leaves recommended for property borders and defensive landscaping.

This cultivar requires no pruning to keep its formal symmetrical shape.

‘Dragon Lady’

More cold hardy than the species plant, this holly is suited to cultivation in Zones 5 to 8.

‘Dragon Lady’ is available in one-gallon containers from Home Depot.

Royal Family Holly Combo

This is not one, but two different hybrids that have I. aquifolium as a parent plant.

The Royal Family combines a female ‘Blue Princess’ with a suitable male pollinator, ‘Blue Prince.’

Royal Family Combo

Unlike traditional English holly, these two can grow in much colder climates down to Zone 4.

They’re also a bit shorter and thinner, reaching 10 to 15 feet tall and eight to 10 feet wide.

The Royal Family combo is available from Nature Hills Nursery in #1 or #3 containers.

Maintenance

Once taller than 10 feet, pruning English holly becomes fairly difficult, and must involve safety measures in addition to loppers, a ladder, and another person to spot.

Never prune a tall tree alone!

In general, unless you’re going for a specific shape, you won’t need to prune the specimens you choose to grow as trees.

But the hedges you’re trying to train as smaller 10- to 15-foot shrubs are another matter entirely.

Make sure to prune annually, in late winter, just before the plant begins growing again after its dormant period.

Use sharpened loppers, slip on some thick gardening gloves, and wear long sleeves and pants so you won’t be scratched by the spines on the leaves.

Start by cutting off any dead branches, then move to the unruly portions of branches growing sideways or towards the trunk.

Also remove any branch portions that have become tangled.

Finally, shape the rest of the shrub as needed. Mature plants can tolerate hard pruning.

Another important maintenance chore is weeding. It will help the trees to thrive if they don’t have to compete for moisture. It’s a good idea to replenish the mulch in early spring, too.

Also consider fertilizing once a year with a product designed for acid-loving trees and shrubs, like Holly Tone, available from Espoma via Amazon.

This will keep the soil at the proper pH, and encourage healthy growth.

Propagation

It’s not a good idea to try and grow I. aquifolium from seed.

The seeds take up to a year to germinate and you won’t know whether you have male or female plants for at least a couple of years after that, when they start to produce flowers.

And while seeds are widely available online, it’s impossible to tell whether you’re actually planting your desired variety until long after they sprout.

Happily, you can buy plants from nurseries and English holly is fairly simple to propagate from cuttings.

From Cuttings

The best cuttings to work with will come from the new growth.

You can either take them from dormant plants in winter or from the new wood in late spring or early summer.

Rooted cuttings are clones of the parent plants, and as such, cuttings taken from female plants will be female and those taken from male plants will be males.

Before you take your cuttings, prepare the pots. You can use three- to four-inch nursery pots, provided they have drainage holes in the bottom.

Fill your pots three-quarters full of a 50-50, pre-moistened mix of peat moss or a suitable alternative, and perlite.

Identify a branch with new growth, and cut a six- to eight-inch length of stem using clean clippers or pruners.

For each, remove the leaves from the bottom four inches of the stem. Also strip the outer bark from the bottom two inches. This creates a “wound” that will promote faster rooting.

You’ll want to use a rooting hormone, like Bontone II Rooting Powder. It’s available from Arbico Organics.

Bontone II Rooting Powder

Dip the cut end that’s been stripped of leaves and bark in the powder, then jab each cutting, root powder side down, into its own prepared pot.

Cover the pots with plastic wrap or a humidity dome, and place the cuttings in a room that is 60°F or warmer, in a spot with indirect sunlight.

Keep the soil moist with a spray bottle, and you should see roots forming in four to eight weeks.

When the roots are a few inches long and are holding the plants steady, move each cutting to its own 12-inch container.

Keep them where they will receive at least six hours of indirect sunlight per day until it’s time to transplant.

Transplanting

Transplanting in winter when plants are dormant is usually best, as long as the ground is workable.

Dig a hole the same depth as the container the plant is currently growing in and about three times as wide.

Native soil should be used to fill the hole back up after the plant is seated in its new home, but you can amend this with sand or compost to improve drainage and fertility.

Ease the plant out of its growing container, being careful not to break the roots.

Use your fingers to gently loosen the feeder roots so they point down instead of tangling.

Pests and Disease

English holly doesn’t fall prey to many diseases or insects.

There are just a few serious conditions to watch out for, and a couple of bugs that may make an appearance.

Pests

A few insects may infest English holly, but the plants usually don’t suffer ill effects even after prolonged infestations.

Here are the main ones:

Holly Leaf Miners

The larvae of this small fly, Phytomyza ilicicola, create blotches on the leaves when they feed. The spots are unattractive, though they won’t hurt your plant overall.

You can spot the damage by looking for small raised bumps on the leaves. The first line of treatment is just plucking the affected leaves from the plant and tossing them in the trash.

You may need to graduate to a spray if that doesn’t take care of the problem. Learn more methods of prevention and control in our leaf miner guide.

Scale

White blobs of Japanese wax scale (Ceroplastes ceriferus) may crop up on the wood, and cottony masses of tea scale (Fiorinia theae) may appear on the lower leaf surfaces of I. aquifolium.

It’s not a big deal to remove just a few with a damp cloth or cotton balls dipped in rubbing alcohol, but in the case of more extensive infestations, see our guide to controlling scale.

Spider Mites

The Southern red mite, Oligonychus ilicis, is quite fond of feeding on holly leaves. You probably won’t be able to spot this tiny insect.

Instead, look for a telltale sign of its presence – miniature webs on the undersides of the foliage.

Get rid of any leaves the mites have damaged, and then double down by spraying with neem oil once a week or so, until all vestiges of the spider mites have disappeared.

If the problem persists, consult our guide to dealing with spider mites.

Disease

Be on the lookout for these three I. aquifolium diseases:

Black Root Rot

Black root rot is a fungal condition caused by Thielaviopsis basicola and it generally appears when there is too much moisture in the soil.

It will cause the infected holly to languish over time, the roots turning brown, and eventually the plant can die off completely.

The best solution is just to remove infected specimens and replace with a resistant species such as Chinese (Ilex cornuta), Yaupon (I. vomitoria), or American holly (I. opaca).

The Japanese species (I. crenata) is not a suitable substitute, as it is very susceptible to black root rot.

Check out our guide to learn more about root rot in trees and shrubs.

Powdery Mildew

When you spot a characteristic floury sprinkling on the foliage, Golovinomyces orontiiis is making itself known.

You can usually just remove the damaged leaves and then spray the rest of the foliage with copper fungicide to take care of the problem.

Learn more about dealing with powdery mildew here.

Tar Spot

Tar spot, also known as leaf spot, is caused by the fungus Coniothyrium ilicinum that creates tiny yellow-brown spots on the leaves.

The evidence will show up in winter or early spring, progress to a red-brown by summer, and become sooty black by autumn.

This problem is mostly cosmetic. To discourage it from spreading, clip any diseased leaves.

Then spray the remaining foliage with copper fungicide, following the manufacturer’s directions.

It’s a Jolly Holiday with English Holly

While I can’t readily obtain some of the treats that so many English people rely on to celebrate the holidays, I can grow bushels of European holly boughs to deck the halls!

That makes my December days merry and bright.

How about you? Does English holly warm your heart with its traditional berries and hardiness? Or are you one of the homeowners who’s trying hard to keep it from taking over?

We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments section below, or to field further questions.

And if you’d like to learn about some other types that may suit your gardening or landscape needs, here are some helpful holly guides to read next:

• How to Plant and Grow Oak Leaf Holly
• How to Grow and Care for Winterberry Holly
• Must-Have Tips for Growing Inkberry Holly