Mary Nell Holly

Ilex x ‘Mary Nell’

Other Names: Mary Nell Holly Tree

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub or Tree

Height at Maturity: 15-20′

Width at Maturity: 8′

Spacing: 8′ for solid hedges or screen planting; 14’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Dense, Pyramidal

Growth Rate: Moderate, Fast

Flower Color: White

Flower Size: Small

Flowering Period: May, June

Flower Type:

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Dark Olive Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: Yes

Berry Color: Red

Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average, Low when established

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist to Somewhat Dry

Soil pH: 5.5 – 7

Maintenance / Care: Low to Average

Attracts: Visual Attention, Birds

Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought, Mildew, Heat, Clay Soil

Description

Mary Nell Holly is a care-free large evergreen shrub or small tree popular for its lustrous dark green leaves and the LOADS of bright red berries in fall that persist through winter. Mary Nell has a natural pyramidal form handsome enough to be a specimen tree while growing fast enough to form a quick privacy screen. Grows full to the ground however lower branches can be removed to form a highly attractive tree form specimen.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing naturally in a pyramidal form 15 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide at its base, the Mary Nell Holly can be grown as a large shrub or small tree. It is ideal for use as a focal point specimen, in groupings, or in single or staggered rows as an evergreen privacy screening in landscape borders. Also effective to frame corners or as an accent tree in home foundation plantings or to line a driveway or street. A fine addition to holly gardens, wildlife gardens, red theme gardens and cottage gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 8 feet apart for privacy screen, 14 feet or more apart for space between trees

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a, where this Holly variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

The Mary Nell Holly is exceptionally easy to grow. It adapts to many soils preferring a moist but well-drained acidic soil of average fertility. Alkaline soils result in chlorosis (yellowing of leaves) which can be corrected by the application of chelated iron and/or soil sulfur. More berries are produced in full to mostly sun however you can expect a good crop even with some shade. Six hours of direct sunlight per day is suggested. Relatively low maintenance when left to grow natural. That said, many landscapers will perform an annual pruning or shearing to maintain a more formal appearance or to control size.

Important Note: Any heavy pruning after spring flowering will reduce or eliminate berry production.

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for a Holly tree.

How To Plant A Holly Tree In The Ground Or In Pots

How To Prune A Holly Bush Or Tree

How To Fertilize & Water A Holly Tree

Privacy Screen Design And Planting Tips

Plant Long & Prosper!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us

Very little to say about dealing with these folks:excellent service excellent product. I called the shop to discuss the purchase; promises were made followed by the Wilson Brothers exceeding all expectations. The plants arrived on time and were as good as if I had picked them out myself. Their method of shipping insured the plants came healthy and undamaged. I am fully satisfied and would recommend them without hesitation.—————————————————-Wow! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Received my Mary Nell holly in good shape a few days earlier than expected. The plant was very healthy when it arrived and undamaged in the shipping container, delivered by Fedex. I planted it according to the instructions from the website and it has already put on an inch or two of growth in about a week.———————————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

My order arrived today in Texas, and I just can’t believe how beautiful and fresh the plants are! Here are a couple of pictures to show you how good they look just as they were taken out of the shipping box.
The photos are of a 3-gal forsythia and a 3-gal Mary Nell Holly.
I also ordered two abelia plants, and they arrived in perfect condition also.
Thanks so much!
A very satisfied customer,——————————————Thnks so much for the photo! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks so much for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The plants I recently received from Wilson Bros. – were larger than expected (GREAT!) and in excellent condition. I have ordered from other online nurseries and especially this year have been disappointed in the size and condition (some had brown leaves, or were significantly smaller than expected), but the Mary Nell Hollies (6) that I received from Wilson Bros were so well-packed, delivered in a timely fashion and exceeded my expectations for size and appearance. Thank you.—————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks so much for the awesome review and the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The hollies were very well packed!! We planted them within a week of their arrival and they are showing signs of growth.
So far, we are very pleased with the shrubs and your service and shipping.
Thank you!!——————————————–We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG