How do you plant holly trees?
Set the plants in the holes. Plant one male holly for every 10 or so female plants and within 30 feet or so of the females. Alternately, plant hollies in measured rows, making every third one or so male, and offset males in neighboring rows. Add any amendments to the soil as recommended by the soil test. Water well and allow for some settling.
How many holly trees should be planted together?
Plant one male holly for every 10 or so female plants and within 30 feet or so of the females. Alternately, plant hollies in measured rows, making every third one or so male, and offset males in neighboring rows.
How far apart do you plant holly trees for screens?
For informal screens, such as when using hollies such as Ilex aquipernyi, plant them a few feet apart. Backfill the trench with the soil you removed it. Compact the soil slightly so it is tight but still airy.
How far apart do you plant blue girl Holly?
Spread and Space Requirements. The "Blue Girl" holly can grow 5 to 8 feet tall and has a broad pyramidal or upright habit, with a spread of 4 to 6 feet. Space multiple hollies 5 feet apart to avoid overcrowding while also maintaining a dense appearance in the planting.
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How much space do you need between holly bushes?
To plant holly, dig a hole two to three times the width of the plant's root ball. Place the plant in the hole with the top of the root ball level with or slightly higher than the surrounding soil. Allow at least 5 feet between smaller varieties and up to 25 feet for large, tree-type varieties.
How fast do holly bushes grow?
12" to 24" per yearGrowth Rate This tree grows at a slow to medium rate, with height increases of anywhere from less than 12" to 24" per year.
Where is the best place to plant a holly bush?
full sunThe best location for planting holly bushes is in well-drained but not dry, slightly acidic soil in full sun. That being said, most hollies are very tolerant of less than ideal locations and will grow well in part shade or dry or swampy soil.
Do holly bushes need to be planted in pairs?
Hollies are dioecious, meaning that they need male and female plants in order to produce seeds, which are what berries are. So only female holly bushes will have the red berries. This means that if some of your holly bushes do not have berries, they may be male and simply cannot produce berries.
Is Miracle Grow good for holly bushes?
Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Miracid® Acid-Loving Plant Food is great for use on Azaleas, Camellias, Gardenias, Hibiscus, Holly, Hydrangeas, Orchids, and many others.
What goes well with holly bushes?
Some annual holly companions include:Impatiens.Geraniums.Torenia.Begonia.Coleus.Hypoestes.Inch Plant.Lobelia.More items...•
What time of year do 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.
How do you make holly grow faster?
Fertilizing Holly Bushes Compost or well-rotted livestock manure makes excellent (and often free) slow-release fertilizers that continue to feed the plant throughout the season. A complete fertilizer that contains eight to ten percent nitrogen is another good choice.
What is the best time of year to trim holly bushes?
winterSo for best outcome and to ensure your hollies aren't unduly stressed, wait until late winter or early spring — just as the plant breaks dormancy — before you do any major downsizing. By waiting till your hollies are about to begin active growth, you'll also avoid several months of a skeleton appearance.
How close do male and female hollies need to be?
You'll want to plant 1 male for every 5 to 10 females. Plant the male holly within 50 feet of the female holly. So whether you're decorating for the holiday or adding winter interest to your garden, holly, with its happy red berries, add ornamentation to any area of your home.
How big do holly bushes get?
Habit: Standard plants have an upright bushy habit, reaching 5 to 10 feet high and wide at maturity, dwarf varieties reach 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Foliage and berries: Glossy green leaves up to 1-1/2 inches long have smooth or slightly serrated margins.
Will any male holly pollinate a female holly?
And red holly berries further enhance the joy of a winter scene. But there are male and female holly shrubs. Only the girl shrubs produce the pretty red berries. But a boy shrub is needed to pollinate the female holly so berry production can occur.
How do you make holly grow faster?
In late fall, apply one cup of 10-5-5 fertilizer per plant. The 10-5-5 fertilizer contains 10% nitrogen, 5% phosphorus, and 5% potassium. A higher percentage of nitrogen helps keep the holly leaves green.
What is the best time to 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.
What is the fastest growing shrub?
Ligustrum x ibolium. This deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub is America's fasting-growing hedge, growing up to 3′ per year. The shrub's dense, dark, glossy green foliage makes it an excellent choice for hedges and privacy screens.
Is boxwood or holly a better plant?
The Japanese Holly grows in hardiness zones of 6 through 9, while the boxwood grows in hardiness zones 5 through 9, making it slightly more resistant overall. The Japanese Holly and The boxwood have extremely similar uses in backyard landscaping, given the fact that they are both easy to maintain hedges or shrubs.
Why mulch around holly shrubs?
When growing a holly bush, it also helps to mulch around the base of the holly shrub to help retain water in the summer and to even out the soil temperature in the winter.
What do holly bushes do in the winter?
Growing holly bushes in your yard can add structure and a splash of color in the winter and a lush, green backdrop for other flowers in the summer. Because they are such popular plants, many people have questions about the care of holly bushes.
Why wrap holly shrubs in burlap?
If you find that your holly shrubs are being damaged in the winter by snow and wind, you can wrap the holly shrubs in burlap to protect them from the weather.
Do holly bushes need a male plant?
Instead, you can also try to find holly varieties that do not need a male plant in order to produce holly berries. The initial care of holly bushes after they are planted is much like other trees and shrubs.
Do holly plants grow in shade?
That being said, most hollies are very tolerant of less than ideal locations and will grow well in part shade or dry or swampy soil. If you are growing a holly bush for its bright berries, you need to keep in mind that most holly varieties have male and female plants and that only the female holly shrub produces berries.
Do you need a male or female holly plant to grow berries?
This means that in the location where you would like to plant a holly bush with berries, you will need to plant a female variety and you will also need to make sure that a male variety is planted nearby. Instead, you can also try to find holly varieties that do not need a male plant in order to produce holly berries.
How tall do holly bushes grow?
With some holly types having a growth rate of 12-24 inches (30-61 cm.) per year , finding companion plants for growing holly bushes can be a challenge.
What Can I Grow Underneath a Holly Bush?
Because holly plants are usually planted small, but eventually grow very large, many gardeners use annual plantings under holly bushes. This prevents having to dig up and move perennials or shrubs, as they holly plants grow larger. Annuals also work well as underplantings for container grown holly shrubs.
What are the three types of holly?
The three commonly grown types of holly are American holly ( Ilex opaca ), English holly ( Ilex aquifolium ), and Chinese colly ( Ilex cornuta ). All three are evergreens that will grow in partially shaded locations.
How tall does an English Holly grow?
English holly is hardy in zones 3-7 and can grow 15-30 feet (5-9 m.) tall and wide.
Can you plant Snapdragons under holly bushes?
Snapdragons. Planting under holly bushes that are more established is much easier than planting under young holly bushes. Many gardeners even like to limb up large hollies, so that they grow more in the form of a tree. Left natural, holly plants will mature into a classic evergreen conical shape.
How to plant a sage plant in a hole?
Step 1. Start by digging your planting hole at least two to three times as wide and only as deep as the height of the rootball of your plant. The wider the hole the better. Place native soil removed from planting hole around the perimeter of the hole, in a wheel barrow, or on a tarp. Step 2.
How to tie a tree trunk to the ground?
For smaller trees, use one long stake driven firmly into the ground so that it crosses the trunk of the tree at an angle a foot or two above the ground (depending on height of tree). Use a piece of cloth or a section of rubber water hose to tie trunk loosely against the stake.
How tall is a hedge?
A hedge is made of closely planted shrubs or other plants which, as they grow and are trimmed and shaped or left to grow natural, form a straight or curved solid wall or fence of foliage from 1 to 10 feet in height.
How to keep a tree from rubbing against a stake?
Use a piece of cloth or a section of rubber water hose to tie trunk loosely against the stake. Loop the cloth around the trunk of the tree and then cross the ends over one another before looping and tying it around the stake. Doing so help to keep the tree trunk from rubbing against the stake in windy weather.
What is the best ratio for planting in dense clay soil?
When planting in dense clay or other poor draining soils it is beneficial to thoroughly mix in some good organic matter, such as bagged top soil and/or a good planting mix, at a 25-50% ratio with the soil removed from the planting hole.
Can holly trees be planted in a corner?
When planted right and in the right spot, holly trees are one of the easiest and long-lived trees you'll ever grow. Holly trees can be grown as large shrubs for use in privacy screen plantings, to frame in the corners of tall homes and other structures, or as a focal point specimen.
What type of soil does a Chinese Holly like?
Chinese holly adapt to a wide variety of soil types provided the soil is well-drained. They prefer a moist but well-drained acid to neutral soil of average fertility. As with so many other types of ornamental plants, constantly soggy or wet soil can cause root rot and other harmful plant diseases.
How to plant a sage plant in a hole?
Step 1. Start by digging your planting hole at least two to three times as wide and only as deep as the height of the rootball of your plant. The wider the hole the better. Place native soil removed from planting hole around the perimeter of the hole, in a wheel barrow, or on a tarp. Step 2.
How tall is a hedge?
A hedge is made of closely planted shrubs or other plants which, as they grow and are trimmed and shaped or left to grow natural, form a straight or curved solid wall or fence of foliage from 1 to 10 feet in height.
What is the pH of Chinese hollies?
Soil pH. Chinese hollies perform and look their best in an acid to neutral soil ranging between 5.0 to 7.0 on the pH scale. Most average garden soils fall between a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. If your soil is alkaline (above 7) the leaves of your plants might turn a paler shade of green, or even yellow.
Why are Chinese holly shrubs so popular?
Chinese holly shrubs are used so extensively in landscape design because they're very tough but attractive plants that come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, which offer many uses in landscapes and gardens. Too, some Chinese holly varieties respond very will to pruning for hedges and topiary forms that provide outstanding visual interest in ...
Do Chinese holly trees need pruning?
Too, some Chinese holly varieties respond very will to pruning for hedges and topiary forms that provide outstanding visual interest in the landscape. Additionally, some varieties produce abundant crops of bright red berries in fall that persist through winter, if the birds don't get them all!
How to plant holly bushes in a hole?
Dig holes for each seedling that are just as deep as the root ball but about two to three times as wide in diameter. Set aside the removed soil. For hollies to cross-pollinate and bear fruit, male and female holly bushes must be planted near each other. Set the plants in the holes.
What type of soil do holly groves need?
Acidic or wet soils are preferred by some holly varieties. Check the plants' requirements. Many holly grove owners find success in planting a ring of females around a central male, then adding other males and females on another outer ring. Acidic or wet soils are preferred by some holly varieties. Check the plants' requirements.
How to keep hollies from rotting?
Spread it evenly when the new hollies are settled in. Add a ring of mulch about 2 inches thick on top of the compost and spread evenly to help conserve water and nutrients. Keep the mulch at least 3 inches from the tree trunk to discourage rot or mold. Set the plants in the holes.
Do holly bushes cross pollinate?
For hollies to cross-pollinate and bear fruit, male and female holly bushes must be planted near each other.
Can holly trees pollinate?
Male plants bear no fruit but can pollinate several female trees. There are several species of holly, and males and females of the same species are needed to get fruit. Test the soil where you want to plant holly before to be sure there is a balance of nutrients present in the soil and that it has a neutral pH.
Do holly bushes bear fruit?
For hollies to cross-pollinate and bear fruit, male and female holly bushes must be planted near each other. The male and female are slightly different and should be clearly labeled when the seedlings are acquired. Male plants bear no fruit but can pollinate several female trees.
How far apart should I plant Japanese hollies?
Place the hollies in the trench, staggering them 6 inches apart for smaller, dwarf varieties such as many Japanese hollies (Ilex crenata), which are hardy to USDA hardiness zones 6 through 9; space the holes 18 to 30 inches apart for larger hollies. For informal screens, such as when using hollies such as Ilex aquipernyi, plant them a few feet apart.
What is the family of holly?
The holly family (Ilex spp.) contains hundreds of species varying in size, shape and leaf color. Some are ideal for short hedges, while others make excellent, tall screens for privacy.
What is the best hedge for a 5 foot hedge?
For a dense, shorter hedge that grows no taller than 5 feet, consider a variety such as the "Shamrock" inkberry holly (Ilex glabra "Shamrock"), which is also hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9.
How far apart should I plant a hedge?
A two foot spacing would give you plants that are just touching now so you already have an almost-hedge. There does seem to be a phobia about planting shrubs too close together, sensible if you want the shrubs to grow to a mature size and a natural shape, but fatal if you want a hedge. I would normally recommend 18"-24" spacing for a 4-6 foot hedge which seems to be what you are looking for.
Do azaleas grow in a row?
When planting in a grouping such as a row it doesn't matter how far apart you plant them as long as you put them close enough to get the desired effect in this lifetime. They will still grow. Nurseries sometimes plant several cuttings in the same pot to get a dense effect. I think this is pretty common with evergreen azaleas in particular.
