Nellie R. Stevens Holly

Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub or Tree

Height at Maturity: 15-20′

Width at Maturity: 12-15′

Spacing: 6-8′ for solid hedge; 18’+ 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 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 – 6.5

Maintenance / Care: Low to Average

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer, Disease, Drought, Mildew, Heat, Clay Soil

Description

A long-time favorite of landscapers and home gardeners and one of the fastest growing and most dependable of the tall hollies, the Nellie R. Stevens Holly, often misspelled “Nellie R. Stephens,” is an evergreen tree with a broad, pyramidal growth habit and lustrous, dark blue-green leaves that are full to the ground. That said, lower branches can be removed to form a very attractive mid-size tree to 20 feet or more in height over time. Produces an abundant crop of bright red berries in fall that persist through winter and are relished by birds. A perfect choice for privacy screens.

Landscape & Garden Uses

The Nellie R. Stevens Holly can be grown as a shrub, with foliage from the ground up, or lower branches can be removed to form a very attractive and colorful evergreen tree.

Growing 15 to 20 feet in height and 10 to 15 feet wide (depending on pruning), the Nellie R. Stevens Holly is ideal for use as a specimen, in single or staggered rows to form a solid privacy hedge or screen, or to frame the corners of homes or other buildings. As this holly grows taller lower branches can be removed to form a highly attractive evergreen tree that is perfect for use as a focal point specimen in landscape border or home foundation plantings. Great for use in the ground or in large pots around swimming pools and other outdoor living spaces. The abundant crop of berries make it a welcome addition to bird and wildlife gardens. Excellent for an outdoor Christmas tree!

Suggested Spacing: 6 to 8 apart for solid privacy screens and hedges; 18 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 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 Nellie R. Stevens Holly is exceptionally easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained acidic soil of average fertility and full sun to part shade. 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. Four hours or more of direct sunlight per day is suggested. Minimal if an maintenance when left to grow natural. That said, many landscapers will perform an annual pruning 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

My Nellie’s arrived perfectly packaged and beautifully grown. I will continue to purchase from Wilson Bros and recommend them highly!—————————————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

Once construction began on the lot next to our home I went to Wilson Bros web site looking for a fast growing evergreen to screen our property from the new construction that had removed many of the trees that had screened us from other neighbors. I quickly discovered some fast growing evergreen holly trees in a 6 pack of gallon size pots. They arrived quickly packed in a way that even very careless handling by an idiot FedX driver could not harm them. Although the box was actually crushed in the middle and left in the sun on our driveway, the plants inside were in great shape and quite large. All were watered, planted and look to be thriving in their new home. This was exactly what we needed to quickly fill in for future privacy before the newly contructed home is completed and sold. Wilson’s has been our favorite online nursery ever since we moved to the North Georgia mountains.———————————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

I am obligated to write a short review because these young holly trees look amazingly healthy and well cared for. Arrived in perfect condition. We purchased 12 – 1 gallon plants. We are using them as a privacy barrier. We had different hollies at our last house and loved them. We may buy more next season.————————————–Thanks for the photo. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review and the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I just wanted to let you know that we received our beautiful Nellie’s today. We were very impressed with the packing and condition of the plants and will definitely return to your site! Thank you.—————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review and the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

We received our hollies in two separate orders. The first set came well packaged but when the second carrier delivered the carton, he or she placed it VERTICALLY – apparently the carrier couldn’t read ‘arrows’ on the box!! Despite that, the plants were packaged so well, it didn’t bother them a bit! We were really impressed. Also, we were concerned about the plants themselves – some companies send you ‘sticks’ with a few roots, but these plants were impressive, lots of growth, and deep green.———————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

We received our order on 2-16. The plants were packed very well and arrived in perfect condition. we couldn’t have been more pleased with our purchase and we look forward to more purchases from you in the future.—————————————-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

First time ordering online from any nursery and was more than a little apprehensive. The plants arrived very quickly and were all packed extremely well. I ordered 12 plants and all arrived healthy and are doing fine. They were all in pots and wrapped so there was not any dirt inside the boxes. I will absolutely order from Wilson Bros again and highly recommend you do as well.——————————————————————–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

I was pleasantly surprised when I received the hollies. I ordered the one gallon pots and wasn’t sure what to expect given they were being shipped long distance. The plants were large and very healthy looking and the packing job was impressive. They were in perfect shape when they arrived. I am putting in screening for road frontage and these will be great!———————————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

We ordered the 6 packs. They shipped sooner than expected, were packaged really well and looked great. We will definitely order from them again!
Thank you,
Allison————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG