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Red Beauty Holly (1 Gallon) - Symmetrical grower with rich glossy leaves and abundant bright red berries!

SKU: EGHY002
Regular price $34.99 $24.95 29% off
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Description

 

Red Beauty Holly is an elegant and beautiful addition to any garden or growing space. It’s bright scarlet berries and glossy dark foliage bring drama and excitement to your garden display. Feathered friends love its berries and the evergreen foliage provides them shelter all winter long. This plant looks amazing in pairs, and it needs a male pollinator plant to produce its berries.

This is a classic example of the holiday plant we all know and love. Take a few cuttings of its branches and bring them indoors for a beautiful table centerpiece, or add to a holiday wreath. Dress up your Red Beauty Holly with twinkling lights during the dark winter months.

This holly grows in hardiness zones 6-10. It prefers full sun to part shade, and well-drained, average soils, performing best in moist, acidic soils. Growing up to 6-10 feet tall with a 4-5 foot spread, this plant makes a major visual impact and a stunning specimen.

 

  • Conical and dense--this holly maintains its shape with little to no pruning.
  • Red Beauty Holly boasts showy red berries and glossy dark green foliage making it quite the showstopper.
  • Stunning in Asian, zen, or cottage gardens, this plant is extremely versatile.
  • Its berries are a valuable food source for the birds it attracts, though you’ll need a male pollenizer for best berry output.
  • Provides year-round interest and is pest, disease, and deer-resistant.

Red Beauty Holly

Ilex x 'Rutzan'

Frequently Asked Questions

How big will it get?

It varies a lot, from low groundcover junipers to arborvitae that can reach 30 feet or more, and this page lists the size for this plant. Plan for its full spread, not the size of the pot.

How far apart should I plant a hedge?

Set plants a little closer together than they'd spread on their own, measured center to center. For example, a shrub that spreads 4 feet wide goes about 3½ feet apart.

Why is it turning brown?

Some browning after planting or after a hard winter is common in young evergreens. Both come down to water: a root ball that dried out, or winter sun and wind pulling water from the leaves while the roots sit in frozen soil. Water deeply through fall until the ground freezes, and wait for spring growth before you trim, since buds under brown tips can still be alive. Mild winter bronzing on boxwood almost always greens up in spring. Narrow black streaks on green boxwood stems are different, so send us photos.

Is it deer resistant?

It depends on the plant. Deer seldom do serious damage to spruces, most junipers or boxwood. They browse arborvitae and yews heavily, especially in winter, and occasionally do serious damage to blue hollies and Japanese hollies like Sky Pencil. Where deer are common, a wire-mesh cage around a young plant stops browsing.

When can I trim it?

Most evergreens hold their shape with little or no trimming. If you do trim, skip late summer and fall, because cuts then push tender new growth that winter can burn. Take out winter-browned tips in spring, once new growth shows you what's alive.

Do I need a male holly for berries?

Yes, for female hollies. Blue Princess, Castle Spire and Red Beauty set their red berries only with a male holly nearby that blooms at the same time, such as Blue Boy or Castle Wall. One male can serve three to five females, planted within about 300 feet.

What does the gallon size mean?

It's the size of the nursery pot the plant ships in, not the plant's height. A 1-gallon plant ships in a 1-gallon pot. The plant itself varies by variety and by season.

It arrived wilted or dropped some leaves. Is it OK?

A few days in a dark box is stressful for a leafy plant, and some yellow or dropped leaves are common. Water it if the soil is dry, give it a few days in bright shade, then move it into more sun over a week or two. New leaves usually follow. If it looks damaged or unhealthy beyond a few leaves, contact us that day with photos.

How do I plant it?

Plant when the ground isn't frozen, and not during a heat wave. Loosen any roots circling the root ball, and set the top of the root ball level with the ground or slightly above it. Water it in well.

How often should I water it? The label says drought tolerant.

Check the soil every few days for the first few months, and water when the root ball is dry. A new shrub counts as established once its roots spread as wide as its branches, which usually takes at least two growing seasons. Until then, it depends on you for water, even if the label says drought tolerant.