NICE! Plant of the Month
(Ilex decidua)
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Other Common Names: Deciduous Holly
Type: Multi-trunked small tree with smooth gray bark.
Natural Habitat: grows in woods and at edges of swamps in East and Central Texas, south to Victoria, and From Virginia to Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico.
Growth: 12 to 15 feet tall.
Deer Resistance: Deer may rub on this plant and may moderately browse the foliage.
Wildlife: Its berries attract songbirds in the fall and its blooms attract bees in spring.
Light Tolerance: For berry production, site should receive 6 hours of full sun per day, but plant will tolerate dappled shade or part shade.
Flowers: Small white flowers appear in early spring.
Fruit: Female plants bear bright red or orange berries in fall.
Leaves: Bright green leaves are deciduous.
Water Requirements: Low.
Soil Requirements: Soil may be sand, loam, clay or caliche, acid or calcareous
Planting Instructions: Space plants 10 feet apart. Dig a hole at least two times wider than, but the same depth as the root ball in the nursery container. Sides of the hole should be irregular, not smooth. Remove plant from container, taking care to support the root ball. Loosen exterior roots gently with your fingers. If the plant is root-bound and cannot be loosened by hand, the outer roots may be cut in several places. Lift the plant by the root ball and place into the hole. Backfill hole, using soil that was dug out. Do not add any soil to the top of the root ball. Gently firm the soil with your hands, but do not tamp it down. Place 3-4 inches of mulch over the bare soil around, but not touching the base of the plant.
Watering Instructions after planting: Water deeply after planting to settle soil around roots. Then every 7-10 days, as needed, during the first growing season. Before watering, check for soil moisture at a depth of an inch or two at the edge of the root ball. Skip a watering after a rainfall of ½ to 1 inch. Maintain this watering schedule until the first fall. Reduce watering during the cool fall and winter months. In a “normal” year, no watering may be necessary during the fall and winter, but during a dry period, monthly watering may be needed. Second Spring and thereafter: Water monthly only during periods of drought. Once established, natives will survive with little supplemental irrigation.
NICE! Tip: To assure a female plant, purchase in the late summer or fall when berries are present. There are normally enough male plants around to accomplish pollination. Use instead of Pyracantha, Crape Myrtle, Purple-leaf Plum, ornamental plums, Bradford Pear or non-native large hollies such as Nellie Stevens or Burford.
Look for the NICE! Plant of the Month signs and information sheets on your next visit to a participating Boerne nursery. And thank you for supporting native plants by using them in your landscapes.
