Carissa Holly

Embrace the Year-Round Joy of Year-Round Evergreen Appeal with the Compact Carissa Holly

This Drought-Tolerant Holly is Ideal for Borders, Hedges, and Container Planting

Struggling to keep your plants alive in the summer heat? Buying a Carissa Holly is the perfect solution! This resilient shrub thrives in warm climates, offering exceptional drought and heat tolerance. Even on the hottest days, it stays lush and vibrant, providing effortless beauty to your landscape with minimal maintenance.

A favorite compact, dense holly shrub with glossy dark evergreen leaves that feature one terminal spine at the tip. The moderately showy clusters of fragrant white flowers that appear in early spring are followed by produced berries in fall and winter. As with many holly varieties, these berries are an excellent food source for wildlife including birds and squirrels.

Ilex cornuta Carissa holly bush is a great option for a low hedge, in containers, or in mass plantings, and provides a rich green background for flowering plants. The Carissa Chinese Holly won’t disappoint and is well-established in the landscape!

Why Buy Online From Perfect Plants Nursery?

When you buy your Holly’s Direct from a grower, you’re not only getting the best possible quality, but you’re getting a plant that has been professionally cared for since a seedling.

Our family nursery has been in operation since 1980, selling plants meant to thrive for years on end. 

Carissa Holly Care & Maintenance

This evergreen shrub grows up to 3-4 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide making it perfect for foundational plantings. The Carissa Holly growth rate is slow up to 3-5 inches per year.

It can be grown in the southern United States in USDA plant hardiness zones 7-9. Plant in full sun to partial shade and in well-drained, slightly acidic soils.

Be sure to water thoroughly the first year of planting to establish a strong root system and to keep the dark green foliage thriving. Irrigation once established may be a good idea if you live in an area with warmer temperatures and little rainfall.

It is relatively free of pests and diseases, but a slow release fertilizer at the top of the root ball will help give it that boost it needs in early spring. This will help maintain good leaf color and adequate growth.

The lush green foliage of the holly ilex cornuta carissa is a favorite of ours for the bright red berries and glossy green leaves. You can even prune this shrub into a Carissa tree.

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