🌿 Ilex opaca (American Holly)
Evergreen Tree | Eastern North American Native | Four-Season Shelter | Wildlife & Pollinator Support
Highlights for Native Plant Enthusiasts:
🐛 Host plant for native moths like the Henry’s Elfin and several specialist leafminers
🐦 Bright red berries (on female plants) provide essential late-winter food for cedar waxwings, robins, and thrushes
🌲 Evergreen foliage offers year-round shelter and cover for birds and small mammals
🐝 Small white flowers are rich in nectar and pollen—supporting native bees and early pollinators
🌿 Naturally occurs in mixed forests, sandy soils, and maritime woodlands
🌳 Excellent for hedgerows, windbreaks, understory plantings, and wildlife gardens
Growing Information:
Height: 15–40 ft | Spread: 10–20 ft
Soil: Moist, well-drained soils; tolerates clay, sand, and some drought once established
Light: Full sun to full shade (best berry production in part sun)
Zones: 5–9
Type: Broadleaf evergreen tree
Pollination: Dioecious—plant at least one male for every 3–5 females to ensure berry production
Why Native Growers Love It:
Ilex opaca is one of the few native broadleaf evergreens that provide year-round structure, cover, and color. Beloved for its resilience and wildlife value, this holly is an anchor species in coastal and upland forests, offering habitat through every season. In winter, when food is scarce, its bright berries sustain birds—and its dense foliage offers protection from snow, wind, and predators.
Its slow growth and tolerance of shade make it perfect for woodland understories, naturalized privacy screens, or evergreen edges. With enough time, it becomes a statuesque tree with striking form, feeding and sheltering generations of native species.
Seed-grown from regional straight-species trees— no synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Our stock is ready for habitat restoration and rewilding.
Pairs beautifully with dogwood, eastern red cedar, viburnum, ferns, and oakleaf hydrangea.
🛒 Plant Ilex opaca—protect the landscape, feed the wild, and bring deep green structure to your native garden.
🌿 Ilex opaca (American Holly)
Evergreen Tree | Eastern North American Native | Four-Season Shelter | Wildlife & Pollinator Support
Highlights for Native Plant Enthusiasts:
🐛 Host plant for native moths like the Henry’s Elfin and several specialist leafminers
🐦 Bright red berries (on female plants) provide essential late-winter food for cedar waxwings, robins, and thrushes
🌲 Evergreen foliage offers year-round shelter and cover for birds and small mammals
🐝 Small white flowers are rich in nectar and pollen—supporting native bees and early pollinators
🌿 Naturally occurs in mixed forests, sandy soils, and maritime woodlands
🌳 Excellent for hedgerows, windbreaks, understory plantings, and wildlife gardens
Growing Information:
Height: 15–40 ft | Spread: 10–20 ft
Soil: Moist, well-drained soils; tolerates clay, sand, and some drought once established
Light: Full sun to full shade (best berry production in part sun)
Zones: 5–9
Type: Broadleaf evergreen tree
Pollination: Dioecious—plant at least one male for every 3–5 females to ensure berry production
Why Native Growers Love It:
Ilex opaca is one of the few native broadleaf evergreens that provide year-round structure, cover, and color. Beloved for its resilience and wildlife value, this holly is an anchor species in coastal and upland forests, offering habitat through every season. In winter, when food is scarce, its bright berries sustain birds—and its dense foliage offers protection from snow, wind, and predators.
Its slow growth and tolerance of shade make it perfect for woodland understories, naturalized privacy screens, or evergreen edges. With enough time, it becomes a statuesque tree with striking form, feeding and sheltering generations of native species.
Seed-grown from regional straight-species trees— no synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Our stock is ready for habitat restoration and rewilding.
Pairs beautifully with dogwood, eastern red cedar, viburnum, ferns, and oakleaf hydrangea.
🛒 Plant Ilex opaca—protect the landscape, feed the wild, and bring deep green structure to your native garden.
