Overview

Introduce timeless elegance and year-round interest to your landscape with the Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub. This distinguished evergreen is celebrated for its vigorous growth habit, classic pyramidal shape, and abundant display of glossy, dark green leaves complemented by vibrant red berries. Originating from a unique hybrid, the Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub is a highly sought-after specimen for gardeners seeking both aesthetic appeal and low-maintenance functionality. It’s an excellent choice for creating dense privacy screens, windbreaks, or as a stately standalone feature, providing a touch of traditional charm that evokes a festive spirit, especially during the colder months.

This live plant arrives in a quart pot, ready for planting, and is known for its adaptability and resilience across various environments. Its natural resistance to many common pests and diseases makes it a reliable addition to almost any garden design. Whether you’re looking to establish a formal hedge, add architectural interest, or simply enjoy the beauty of a well-structured evergreen, the Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub offers a compelling solution that combines natural grandeur with practical garden benefits.

Key Benefits

The Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub offers a multitude of advantages that make it a premier choice for diverse landscaping needs, ensuring your garden remains vibrant and engaging throughout the seasons.

• Stunning Year-Round Appeal: Enjoy the consistent beauty of glossy, dark green foliage and an abundance of bright red berries that persist through fall and winter, providing color when other plants are dormant. This continuous display enhances curb appeal and garden aesthetics.
• Fast-Growing Privacy: Known for its rapid growth, this holly quickly establishes itself to form a dense, effective privacy screen or windbreak, offering seclusion and protection for your outdoor living spaces. Its robust nature ensures quick impact.
• Classic Pyramidal Shape: Naturally develops a beautiful, symmetrical pyramidal form, reminiscent of a traditional Christmas tree. This makes it an ideal specimen plant or a structured element in formal garden designs, requiring minimal pruning to maintain its elegant shape.
• Wildlife Attraction: The bright red berries serve as a valuable food source for various bird species during the colder months, attracting beneficial wildlife to your garden and enhancing ecological diversity.
• Drought Tolerant & Low Maintenance: Once established, the Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub is remarkably drought-tolerant and requires minimal care, making it perfect for busy gardeners or those seeking an easy-to-manage landscape solution.
• Adaptable & Resilient: Thrives in a wide range of soil conditions and climates within its hardiness zones, demonstrating excellent resilience against common garden stressors and offering long-term reliability.
• Versatile Landscaping Use: Perfect for hedges, foundation plantings, specimen trees, or as part of a mixed border. Its adaptable nature allows for creative integration into various garden styles, from formal to naturalistic.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub is straightforward, ensuring it thrives and reaches its full potential as a majestic evergreen. This robust plant is quite forgiving, but providing optimal conditions will maximize its growth and berry production. Understanding Nellie R Stevens holly care is key to a flourishing landscape.

For sunlight, the Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub performs best in full sun to partial shade. Full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily) encourages the densest foliage and most abundant berry production. While it can tolerate some shade, too much shade may result in a sparser habit and fewer berries. When it comes to watering, consistent moisture is crucial during the first year after planting to help establish a strong root system. Once established, it becomes quite drought-tolerant, but regular watering during prolonged dry spells will keep it looking its best. Ensure the soil is well-draining to prevent root rot. This holly prefers a slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH 5.0-7.0) that is rich in organic matter. Amend heavy clay soils with compost or pine bark to improve drainage and aeration. Regarding temperature, this plant is hardy in USDA Zones 6-9, meaning it can withstand winter temperatures down to -10°F (-23°C).

Fertilization can be done in early spring with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer formulated for evergreens or acid-loving plants. Follow package instructions for application rates. Pruning is generally minimal; focus on shaping and removing any dead or diseased branches in late winter or early spring before new growth emerges. You can also prune to maintain a desired size or density for hedges. Common problems are rare, but watch for scale insects or leaf spot, which can usually be managed with horticultural oil or appropriate fungicides if necessary. Proper air circulation and avoiding overhead watering can help prevent fungal issues. This knowledge will ensure your Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub remains a healthy and vibrant feature in your garden for years to come.

Size & Details

This offering includes one Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub, carefully grown and shipped in a quart-sized pot, ensuring a healthy start for your garden. Known for being a fast growing holly, it typically reaches an impressive height of about 15-30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10-15 feet wide at its base, forming a distinct pyramidal shape. The plant’s narrower top gives it a classic Christmas tree appearance, making it a natural focal point in any landscape. Its growth rate can be quite vigorous, adding significant height each year under optimal conditions. The rich, dark green leaves are spiny, providing excellent texture and year-round visual interest. This variety is also celebrated for its abundant production of round, vibrant red berries, which add a splash of color, especially appealing during the fall and winter months. The plant you receive will be well-rooted and ready for transplanting into your garden, where it will begin its journey to becoming a stately and cherished part of your outdoor environment. Planting can generally occur year-round, as long as the ground is not frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub is a fast growing holly that can reach an impressive mature height of 15-30 feet tall with a spread of 10-15 feet wide, forming a beautiful pyramidal shape.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: Each purchase includes one Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub shipped in a quart-sized nursery pot, ready for planting.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is an outdoor plant, best suited for landscape use in USDA Zones 6-9. It is not recommended for indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: The Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub thrives in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily) but can also tolerate partial shade. More sun generally leads to denser growth and more berries.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub is considered low-maintenance, requiring minimal pruning and being quite drought-tolerant. Its resilience makes Nellie R Stevens holly care relatively simple.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a healthy, live plant in a quart pot, well-rooted and ready for transplanting into your garden. We ensure careful packaging for safe delivery.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: This holly can be planted year-round, as long as the ground is not frozen. Spring or fall are generally ideal times for establishment.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Nellie R Stevens Holly Shrub is hardy in USDA Zones 6-9, meaning it is well-equipped to survive winter temperatures in those regions.
• Q: Does this holly produce berries? A: Yes, this variety is known for producing abundant, vibrant red berries that add significant ornamental value, especially in fall and winter.
• Q: Can I use this for a privacy hedge? A: Absolutely! Its dense foliage, rapid growth, and upright, pyramidal holly tree shape make it an excellent choice for creating effective and beautiful privacy screens or hedges.