Shrub · Aquifoliaceae Draft — unreviewed
Nellie R. Stevens holly
Ilex‘Nellie R. Stevens’
Fast, dense, glossy hybrid holly that fruits heavily without a pollinator. A standard tall privacy screen in the upper South.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 4.5–7.5 m (15–25 ft) tall and 3–4.5 m (10–15 ft) wide; medium growth, about 6 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #7 install size.
Design notes
- Grows wide; space at least 2 m apart and keep 1.5 m from walks.
- Tea scale can build up on stressed plants.
Regions
Native range: Garden hybrid.
Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Japanese holly
Ilex crenata · Shrub · 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft)
Inkberry
Ilex glabra · Shrub · 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 ft)
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata · Shrub · 1.8–3 m (6–10 ft)
Yaupon holly
Ilex vomitoria · Shrub · 4–6 m (13–20 ft)
American holly
Ilex opaca · Tree · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Glossy abelia
Abelia × grandiflora · Shrub · 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft)
Plan with Nellie R. Stevens holly
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.