Holly Hedging Plant (Ilex Aquifolium)

Holly (Ilex aquifolium) is a popular evergreen hedging plant, valued for its glossy, spiny leaves and the flash of colour its berries bring to gardens through winter. Dense growth and prickly foliage make Holly an effective deterrent to intruders, while its year round cover creates one of the most reliable choices for exposed and coastal sites. Holly is dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female. Only female plants produce the familiar orange or red berries, which are an important winter food source for birds but poisonous to humans and pets if eaten. They only produce flowers after at least 4 years, so you will not be able to tell if you ordered male or female due to them being grown from seed.

Slow growing at around 10 to 15cm a year, Holly prefers full or partial shade and moist soil, though it establishes well in a wide range of conditions. As a holly hedge, Ilex aquifolium combines well with other prickly native species to create an impenetrable, mixed evergreen boundary.

Best trimmed in late winter or early spring while dormant, Holly is a low maintenance hedge plant that rewards patience with dense, long lasting structure.