Jürgen Howaldt · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Holly
Tree·Ilex aquifolium
Part shade
Sun
Medium
Water
Moist soil
Drainage
Zones 6–9
Hardiness
Holly (Ilex aquifolium) is a tree. It grows best in part shade and has moderate water needs.
Through the year
FruitingGrowingFlowering
Works well with
from wiki dataNo companions recorded.
WHAT IT NEEDS
Tolerates part shade
Needs moderate water
Tolerates moist soil, as long as it drains well
Prefers soil pH 5–7
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Prefers loam, clay, sand soil
Tolerates some soil compaction
Adds a moderate amount of organic matter to the soil
Partners with mycorrhizal fungi to boost nutrient uptake
WHAT IT GIVES
Gives shade (dense)
Gives wind shelter (high)
Gives habitat (shelter and nesting sites)
Gives fruit (berries in autumn/winter)
Attracts pollinators
Attracts birds
Shelters birds
Shelters wildlife
HOW IT GROWS
SIZE & SPACING
Sub-canopy tree
Height400–1000 cm
Spacing400 cm (min 300 cm)
Root depthMedium
Width400–500 cm
Width figures are rough estimates, the most variable measurement in our data.
AI estimate · accuracy improves as growers contribute corrections.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Propagate by seed, semi-hardwood cuttings
Difficulty
Establishes in about 3 yr
Self-seeds a little on its own
Where this comes from
Parsed4 Oct 2026
ConfidenceNot recorded
Photograph Jürgen Howaldt · CC BY-SA 2.0 de