Holly bushes are a classic choice for gardens and landscapes. With their glossy evergreen foliage and bright red berries, they provide year-round interest. If you’re looking to add a holly bush to your yard you’ll be happy to know there are many options for holly bushes for sale near you. Here’s what you need to know about choosing and purchasing the perfect holly bush.
Why Choose a Holly Bush?
There are many reasons to consider holly bushes
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Evergreen foliage – Hollies keep their leaves year-round, providing a burst of green during winter when most other plants are dormant The dark green leaves also contrast nicely with colorful flowers and accent plants
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Red berries – Most holly varieties produce showy red berries on female plants in fall and winter. These add festive color and attract birds.
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Low maintenance – Once established, hollies are quite low maintenance. They tolerate heat, drought, and partial shade. Just avoid soggy soils.
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Deer resistance – Deer tend to leave holly bushes alone thanks to their prickly foliage. This makes them a good choice if deer are a problem in your area.
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Versatility – Hollies work well as hedge plants, specimen plants, foundation plants, screens, and more. There’s a holly for practically any spot!
Popular Holly Bush Species
There are hundreds of holly species, but a few of the most popular include:
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American holly – A classic native holly known for large red berries and spiny evergreen leaves. Grows up to 50 feet tall. Zones 5-9.
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English holly – An Old World species with glossy, spiny foliage and red berries. More compact at 10-20 feet tall. For zones 6-9.
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Japanese holly – Valued for vibrant red berries and ability to take shearing into dense hedges. Grows 20-35 feet tall. Zones 6-8.
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Inkberry – A native holly prized for black berries and adaptability to wet sites. Grows 6-8 feet tall. Zones 5-9.
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Winterberry – A deciduous North American native known for showy red fruit that persists into winter. Grows 10-15 feet tall. Zones 3-9.
What to Look for When Buying
When purchasing a holly bush, here are a few things to look for:
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Foliage – Look for glossy, undamaged leaves without yellowing, spots, or nibble marks. Avoid hollies with excessive green or white growths on leaves.
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Form – Seek out compact, well-branched hollies with a symmetrical form. Avoid leggy, sparse plants.
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Roots – Check container plants for healthy white roots, not black, circling, or crushed roots.
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Berries – For fruiting varieties, look for an abundance of vibrant red or other colored berries.
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Hardiness – Ensure the holly is suited to your planting zone. Most tolerate zones 5-9.
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Size – Consider current size and projected mature size to allow enough room. Most reach 6-15 feet tall.
Where to Find Hollies for Sale Locally
You can find holly bushes at most nurseries and home improvement stores, especially leading up to the holidays. Some top places to find hollies for sale near you include:
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Local nurseries – Check independent nurseries and garden centers for the widest selection of holly varieties.
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Big box stores – Retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s stock hardy holly standards like American holly.
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Farmers markets – Markets and fruit stands sometimes sell potted hollies in fall.
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Mail order – Consider ordering from online specialty nurseries for rare holly cultivars.
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Wholesale nurseries – Nurseries that sell to the trade often allow public sales of hollies in bulk.
Tips for Planting and Caring for Holly Bushes
To help your new holly bush thrive:
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Prepare the planting area well by amending soil and digging a wide hole.
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Space multiple hollies at least 10 feet apart to allow for growth. Avoid crowding them.
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Water deeply after planting and mulch around the base. Maintain about 1 inch of water per week.
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Hollies thrive in full sun to partial shade. Avoid deep shade.
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Most benefit from annual spring fertilization and pruning to maintain shape.
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To get berries, plant one male holly to pollinate up to 5-8 females.
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Protect young hollies from deer with fencing if needed until established.
The Takeaway
With proper selection and care, holly bushes are outstanding additions to gardens and landscapes in many areas. Take time to choose the right holly species, cultivar, size, and location for your needs. Check nurseries and stores in your region for the best selection of quality hollies for sale near you. With their classic evergreen foliage and bright red berries, you’re sure to enjoy a holly bush for many years to come.
Native Plants: The Beautiful Foundation of a Healthy Ecosystem
Heartwood Nursery is one of the largest native wholesale and retail nurseries in the Mid-Atlantic region. While much of the horticulture industry has focused on exotic ornamentals, we’ve specialized in native trees, shrubs, and perennials for 38 years. Fully 90 percent of our stock is native.
We offer over 300 native species, most of which we start here in our greenhouses from local seeds and cuttings, and grow by hand without pesticides. We also carry a select few non-invasive, non-native species.
Come to Heartwood for a huge selection of common and lesser-known native species:
- Trees, including American Holly, Serviceberry, Pawpaw, and many others
- Shrubs, from Azalea to Winterberry
- Perennials, from Anise Hyssop to Wood Violet
- Berry plants
- Groundcovers
- Ferns and grasses
See our plant list, and visit us in beautiful rural York County. Well help bring your vision of ecofriendly natural beauty to life.
Gorgeous for your yard and a feast for spring pollinators: a native redbud tree from Heartwood
Heartwood Nursery is a wholesale and retail hub for Holly (Ilex). A national award-winning propagator of Holly, were the largest propagator of American Holly (Ilex opaca) in the United States. We also propagate select non-native Hollies. Our stunning grove of mature Hollies is a Holly Society of America Certified Arboretum and Test Center, and filled with birds enjoying the berries. Tours are available.
Celebrate with us at our family-friendly festival dedicated to the native Serviceberry tree! This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about this beautiful tree, explore our groves, and taste this delicious native fruit.
Wholesale Growers to the Trade and Retail Sales to the Public
Wholesale and Retail 8957 Hickory Road, Felton, PA 17322
Monday-Saturday 9:00-4:00
Nellie Stevens Holly For Sale
FAQ
When should you plant holly bushes?
Plant when it’s cool out. Late fall, early winter, or early spring are generally the best times to plant, depending on your climate and the holly variety you’ll be planting.
Are holly bushes fast growing?
- Nellie Stevens Holly: This is a very popular and fast-growing option, often used for privacy hedges or as accent trees. It can grow 2-3 feet per year.
- Oakland Holly: Another fast-grower, capable of reaching 2 feet per year.
- Needlepoint Holly: Also a fast-growing option, growing up to 3 feet in a single year.
- Sky Pencil Holly: A slower-growing variety, typically increasing in size by 6-12 inches per year.
- Steeds Holly: Another slower-growing option, with a growth rate of 6-12 inches per year.
Do I need two holly bushes?
Yes, and you’ll also need a female holly plant. Male hollies won’t bear fruit and female hollies require at least one male variety nearby in order to set berries. Use the following ratio to insure bountiful berries: 1 male for every 10 female holly plants, planted within 30 feet of the females.
How tall is a 7 gallon holly?
7 GALLON POT (3 to 4 Feet Tall-FULL!)
Are holly bushes evergreen?
Holly, scientifically known as Ilex, are attractive evergreen shrubs and bushes that come in many various shapes and sizes which offer many uses in landscape design. They are ideal for use in home foundation plantings, as evergreen hedge shrubs, and as specimens or in groupings in shrub borders.
Which holly bushes are best for sale?
Some of the best holly bushes for sale include Soft Touch Holly and Dwarf Burford Holly. These holly shrubs are perfect for filling in gaps in your landscape and adding a green touch. They are low maintenance and require little pruning throughout their life only to maintain the desired shape.
What is a holly bush?
A holly bush is a small tree or shrub that provides privacy and stays evergreen. It has lush, green foliage year round and bright red ornamental berries in the fall and winter months. Holly bushes are slow growing plants that are of great value to wildlife due to the birds that love their berries.
What are holly bush hedges?
Holly bush hedges are a common choice when landscaping with holly shrubs due to their quick growth and ability to provide privacy from busy streets or nosey neighbors quickly. You can also plant holly bushes as single specimen plants, in containers, or in foundation plantings.
What does a Holly plant look like?
Nellie R. Stevens holly has dark green, glossy leaves, and produces white flowers in the spring and bright red berries in the fall. Leaves are among the darkest of any plant. Vigorous and fast-growing,
Where are holly bushes typically found?
Both species offer ornamental and privacy benefits, and these species are typically found from eastern Massachusetts south to central Florida and west to California, stretching up as far north as Washington in the far west and Kansas in the central United States.