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The dwarf yaupon holly is a plant that can give your garden visual interest all year long. Throughout the entire year, this cultivated species, Ilex vomitoria 'Nana,' holds small oval-shaped leaves that are dark and glossy. This plant also features small white flowers that eventually lead to clusters of bright red drupes that may be its most noteworthy visual trait. Another reason people love this cultivar so much is that it maintains a small size and can fit in nearly any garden space.
The dwarf yaupon holly has glossy evergreen leaves.
Its white flowers and red drupes persist for several months.
This holly’s compact size allows it to fit in many growing locations.
The dwarf yaupon holly grows in both full sunlight exposure and partial shade conditions.
Watering
Water your holly about once per week during the growing season.
Fertilizing
Provide fertilizer about once per year or less. Use a blend that has a lower ratio of nitrogen.
Planting and Care
by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on May 18, 2022
Planting instructions
The dwarf yaupon holly is a plant that can adapt to many different settings, making it easy for gardeners to find a suitable planting location. These plants survive in partial and full sun exposure. They also are not picky about the type of soil in which they grow, and they can be considerably more drought-tolerant than other holly plants. When planting, dig a hole that is at least twice as wide as the root ball. Score the root ball and the sides of your planting hole to loosen the soil and roots to encourage healthy root expansion.
Watering and nutrients
A once-per-week watering schedule will work well for most dwarf yaupon holly plants. The main issue to watch out for is overwatering. While this plant can withstand drought, it is less tolerant of waterlogging. This plant can also live fairly well with minimal fertilization. A single application of fertilizer early in the season is often enough, and mature plants may need no fertilization at all. The best fertilizers to use are those that are lower in nitrogen content.
Pollination
The dwarf yaupon holly comes in both male and female versions. The male plants hold the pollen necessary for flower fertilization, while the female plants are the ones that produce the fruits that so many people admire. If you wish to see these fruits, you need at least one of each type of this plant. If you have both a male and female plant, you can rely on flying insects to conduct pollination without any additional effort on your part.
Pruning
Many people find that they don’t need to prune their dwarf yaupon holly. These plants maintain a minimal size throughout their lives. However, you can prune this plant to preserve its health and manage its size and shape. If you prune, do so in early spring about once every one or two years. You can choose to remove individual branches or shear the outermost foliage to create your desired form. As you prune, remember that these plants can be slow-growing, meaning that you should not remove too much at one time.
Pests, diseases, and animals
Yaupon hollies can have several pest infestation problems. Holly pit scale is one of the most damaging insects, but so are scale insects and other pests. However, one of the advantages of the dwarf yaupon holly variety is that it is much more capable of resisting pests and diseases. As such, gardeners who grow this plant won’t need to spend too much time warding off these complications, especially when growing the dwarf yaupon holly in its native range.
Achieving maximum results
To get the most out of your dwarf yaupon holly, you should have an understanding of the many ways you can use this plant in your garden. This plant can act as a reliable hedge plant that blocks wind and sightlines. It can also work well in topiary gardens as it allows for shearing and shaping. Along with those uses, you should take advantage of this plant’s resilience. Dwarf yaupon holly not only resists most pests and diseases but also grows well in areas where there is a significant amount of air pollution.
FAQs
How can you keep a dwarf yaupon holly small?
Dwarf yaupon hollies take on a small size regardless of how you choose to control their growth. These plants usually grow to about 5 feet tall at most with a similar-sized spread. But if you want to keep your dwarf yaupon holly smaller than that, you'll need to employ a specific pruning routine. Trim your plant to the size you like about once per year. Since these plants are slow-growing, they should remain at a manageable size without too much effort.
How much spacing does a dwarf yaupon holly need?
The spacing you choose for your dwarf yaupon holly plant depends on how you choose to display it. If you wish to grow this plant as an individual specimen, you should give it about 6 feet of space on either side. This spacing gives room for the plant's mature size without causing crowding. If you grow this plant in a continuous hedge, you can plant each one a bit closer to allow your hedge to form more quickly.
Will the dwarf yaupon holly grow in the shade?
Full sunlight or partial shade is ideal for the dwarf yaupon holly. However, there are some cases in which these plants may survive in shadier settings. But such a location will not allow this plant to exhibit its best qualities. If your dwarf yaupon holly does survive in the shade, it will likely grow slower and show flowers and fruits that are less impressive than they would be in a sunnier location.
Growing Zones: 7-9 i
Growing zones help determine if a particular plant is likely to grow well in a location. It identifies the average annual minimum winter temperatures across the U.S. provided as a map by the USDA.
(hardy down to -10°F)
Dwarf Yaupon Holly
Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'
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