Plant library · Conifers & Evergreens
Ilex x attenuata
Nellie Stevens Holly is a perennial, pyramidal shrub that builds a dense green vertical presence at about 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Its red berries and late-spring bloom add seasonal detail, while the strong outline makes it most useful where a planting needs year-round structure. Use it as a substantial backdrop rather than a small foundation shrub, allowing its mature height to define the scale of the bed.
Place Nellie Stevens Holly along a property edge, at the back of a deep border, or in a screening run where its dense foliage can create a clear boundary. It can also anchor the end of a long bed or soften the corner of a fence or outbuilding. Keep the planting line far enough from paths, driveways, and doors that the mature foliage does not narrow circulation or block routine access.
Set plants 8 feet apart, center to center, for a connected hedge or privacy screen. Each plant can reach roughly 10 feet across, so the row will read as a continuous mass as plants mature rather than as isolated pyramids. For a single specimen, reserve a 10-foot-wide footprint and leave working room around its outer edge for pruning and access.
Use this holly in full sun, with moderate water available while it establishes and during dry stretches. Arrange irrigation so the root zone can be watered without directing spray into nearby paths or against structures. Its eventual size makes it better suited to an in-ground bed than to a confined planting pocket.
Late spring is the bloom period, followed by the continuing visual weight of dense foliage and red berries. Leave enough open space around the planting line for nearby lower perennials to receive light before the hollies gain height and breadth. The permanent framework is especially useful where a bed would otherwise look sparse outside the main flowering season.
Avoid siting this holly where soil stays wet, and plan for good drainage around the root zone. In alkaline ground, foliage can develop chlorosis, so a site assessment is worthwhile before committing to a long hedge. Allow access for occasional inspection and pruning, since holly leafminer, scale, spider mites, whiteflies, leaf spot, and powdery mildew can occur.[1]
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.