American Holly

{"key":"americanholly","id":"PLT-ILEX-OPACA","slug":"american-holly","name":"American Holly","botanical":"Ilex opaca","h":[35,50],"w":[15,25],"install":[6,3],"treeForm":"pyramidal","color":"#536a46","native":true,"type":"trees","categoryLabel":"Trees","reviewDate":"2026-09-08","guideKind":"Native evergreen structure guide","eyebrow":"A NATURAL GREEN PYRAMID + SEASONAL BERRIES","benefit":"Let evergreen structure rise above the garden.","intro":"American Holly brings a clear, upright shape to a landscape that needs a lasting green anchor. Its pointed leaves and seasonal berries offer closer detail, but the whole crown is the main design feature. Give it a role in the background or at a broad garden edge where it can mature into a tree.","light":"Full sun to part shade; canopy density falls in heavy shade","lightTags":["sun","part"],"water":"Prefer moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil; water young trees consistently","season":"Evergreen leaves · red fall and winter berries on pollinated female trees","care":"Protect thin bark from equipment and allow the natural crown to develop","caution":"American Holly is a full-size tree with prickly leaves, not a dwarf foundation shrub. Female fruiting requires suitable male pollen nearby. Berries are not food for people or pets; choose placement with access and everyday use in mind.","site":"Use American Holly where a Pensacola garden needs a substantial evergreen layer and has enough soil and branch space for it. If the goal is privacy, plan the view at both eye level and second-story height. The selected nursery form and the light available will influence how that cover develops.","sizeNote":"UF/IFAS gives a 35–50 ft height and 15–25 ft spread for American Holly. Named cultivars can differ, including dwarf forms; this is the species guide. The illustration shows a full natural tree, not a promise of a particular screening height within a set number of years.","uses":["A tall evergreen garden anchor","A generous mixed privacy border","A native specimen near a woodland edge","Seasonal berries for a wildlife planting","A green backdrop for smaller flowering plants"],"checks":[["Is a tree the right screening scale?","Draw the full crown above and beside the area being screened. A narrow gap beside a house can be too small even when the desired privacy is tall."],["How close will people pass?","Keep prickly foliage outside the usable width of paths and gathering areas. Allow room to move around the planting without brushing through branches."],["Are berries part of the goal?","Ask about plant sex and nearby compatible pollen sources. A photograph of a heavily fruiting female does not tell you what every nursery specimen will produce."],["Can the trunk stay protected?","Leave a practical mulch area and keep mower and string-trimmer work away from the bark. Plan access for maintenance before the lower crown fills in."]],"faq":[["Is it the same as Yaupon Holly?","No. American Holly is Ilex opaca, with larger, often prickly leaves and a different mature scale. Yaupon and dwarf yaupon selections have their own guides."],["Will one tree have red berries?","Only female trees fruit, and fruiting depends on pollination from a suitable male nearby. Confirm the nursery stock and local pollination situation if berries are a priority."],["Can it be kept as a small hedge?","Some named forms are compact, but the species becomes a tree. Choose a plant that fits the intended hedge height instead of building the design around repeated heavy cutting."]],"sources":[["UF/IFAS · American Holly species dimensions and care","https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST304"],["NC State Extension · American Holly fruiting and plant cautions","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-opaca/"]],"wholeCaption":"Illustrative natural American Holly crown; the pictured berries represent a pollinated female tree.","detailCaption":"Illustrative prickly American Holly leaves and red berries; fruiting depends on plant sex and pollination.","aliases":["american holly","ilex opaca","evergreen","red berries","screen","privacy"],"goals":["privacy","color"],"images":{"context":{"id":"6aa02557e4f8742729198b54","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa02557e4f8742729198b54_landova-tree-americanholly-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with American Holly","width":1600,"height":900},"whole":{"id":"6aa0255732d6f7ac1af0da45","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa0255732d6f7ac1af0da45_landova-tree-americanholly-whole.webp","alt":"Illustrative whole-plant form of American Holly","width":1254,"height":1254,"fit":"contain"},"detail":{"id":"6aa0255709e2740e0542c155","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa0255709e2740e0542c155_landova-tree-americanholly-detail.webp","alt":"Illustrative foliage and seasonal detail of American Holly","width":1122,"height":1402}},"companions":[{"slug":"yaupon-holly","name":"Yaupon Holly","title":"Compare another native evergreen tree","reason":"Yaupon offers smaller leaves and a different branching character. Compare both around the actual mature space and screening needs.","image":{"id":"6aa0171262f370de12c071ea","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa0171262f370de12c071ea_landova-tree-yaupon-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Yaupon Holly","width":1600,"height":900}},{"slug":"american-fringetree","name":"American Fringetree","title":"Give the composition a seasonal counterpart","reason":"American Fringetree adds a separate spring-flowering layer in a compatible sheltered site. Keep enough room for both mature crowns.","image":{"id":"6aa01713d9c686655a9ae785","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa01713d9c686655a9ae785_landova-tree-fringetree-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with American Fringetree","width":1600,"height":900}}]}