common holly
Ilex aquifolium
RHS AGM 1993, RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones7 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size30 to 50 feet tall15 to 25 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Dense
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Common holly (Ilex aquifolium) is a shrub for hedges, privacy screens, specimen planting, and winter interest. It is hardy to USDA zone 7, or down to 0°F (-18°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows slowly into a dense, evergreen shape. Fragrant white flowers open in spring and attract bees. Birds visit the plant too, and it tolerates salt.
Pairs well with Red twig dogwood, Paperbark maple, and Foxglove.
Native range
Europe, Africa, Baleares, Corse, and 3 more places. See all 7
Europe, Africa, Baleares, Corse, NW. Balkan Pen., Sardegna, and Sicilia.