Oak Leaf Holly

Oak Leaf Holly is a Fast-Growing Evergreen with Bold Color and Year-Round Appeal

Oak Leaf Holly Shrub is Cold Hardy, Low-Maintenance, and Loaded with Bright Red Berries

The Oak Leaf Holly is a vigorous, upright evergreen with deep green, oak-shaped leaves, bronze-red new growth, and brilliant red berries. Cold hardy, drought-tolerant, and deer-resistant, it’s perfect as a privacy hedge, specimen, or low-maintenance accent shrub year-round.

The Oak Leaf holly boasts attractive new growth of spiny leaves that emerges bronze-to-burgundy, then ages to emerald green! The foliage will stay dark greenish-white colored with year-round interest. Its dark green foliage is distinctive and charmingly similar in shape to that of an oak tree, which is where it got its name.

How Big Does An Oak Leaf Holly Get?

The Oakleaf Holly tree is a tall elegant hybrid holly featuring a pyramidal form. As the tree reaches maturity, the lower branches lose their vertical turgidity, giving the tree an upright pyramid shape. Oak Leaf hollies can grow up to 14 feet tall and 8 feet wide.

Are Oakleaf Hollies Fast Growing?

Like most hollies, the Oakleaf is a rather fast grower. Oakleaf hollies will quickly reach maturity with a growth rate of up to 2 feet per year.

Are Oak Leaf Hollies Deer Resistant?

Most hollies will not be eaten by deer, so they’ll usually look elsewhere for a snack. However, deer will eat most anything depending on what’s available, so Oak Leaf holly may be deer resistant, but not deer proof.

What Colors are Oak Leaf Hollies?

Unlike many other American hollies, the Ilex Oakleaf will set bright red berries without needing a pollenizer because it has both male and female flower parts in each flower. These orange red pea-sized berries attract many different kinds of animals including deer and birds. Before the berries, creamy white flowers with a yellowish hue appear in early spring (March-May).

Our evergreen nursery loves these holly bushes for their shape and form. It is especially easy to manage oak leaf holly pruning. A simple prune yearly will suffice to maintain the desired size and shape. 

Planting Oak Leaf Holly Shrubs

The fast-growing Oak leaf red Holly prefers full sun and slightly acidic, well-drained soil. It can tolerate light shade in warmer zones. The cold hardy variety of holly is stunning as a tall hedge, foundation plant, or specimen plant.

Can Oak Leaf Holly Grow In Shade?

Oak Leaf hollies grow best with anywhere from partial sunlight to full sunlight. Leaving your Oak Leaf holly in full shade will cause it to produce significantly less fruit and begin to turn pale.

Where to Plant Oak Leaf Hollies

The Oak Leaf red holly is heat and drought-tolerant and can grow across the United States in USDA growing zones 6-9. Perfect for southern states! Test your soil pH before planting and if you need to amend to become more acidic soil you can use your specially formulated acidic potting mix.

Water your Oakleaf Holly thoroughly the first year of planting to establish a strong root system. A thick layer of mulch surrounding the root ball will help retain moisture. It is pest and disease resistant and easy to grow!

You will not be disappointed in the oak leaf bush’s dark green leaves and beautiful red berries!

Why Buy From Perfect Plants?

Order direct from Perfect Plants, a family-run nursery growing top-quality holly since 1980. Grown in full Florida sun and nurtured by plant experts, our Oak Leaf Hollies arrive healthy, hardy, and ready to thrive in your landscape.

Shop the Oakleaf Holly tree for sale. One of our most popular hollies!

Also, check out our other Holly shrubs for sale.

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