Holly trees and shrubs add holly-esque flair to tropical landscapes.
Hollies are among the most popular landscape plants in Southwest Florida, with hundreds of shrubby and tree-like styles to choose from. But it took ArtisTree experts just seconds to narrow their favorites down to five — each choice blending surprisingly well with our state’s tropical foliage while adding distinctive holly-esque flair.
Joe Mantkowski, ArtisTree VP Landscape Design: I prefer to use Eagleston Holly trees among all other varieties and also prefer them “full to ground.” Key reasons are 1) This holly satisfies all relevant code tree requirements, 2) It’s a full, dense tree that’s great for privacy, growing up to about 20 feet, 3) It can be shaped and kept easily since it’s a slow grower (although it also looks beautiful untrimmed), and 4) It’s extremely hardy and resists pests. Have never had a bad experience with Eagleston hollies because they consistently outperform in all key categories.
Clinton Lak, ArtisTree Landscape Designer: The Weeping Yaupon Holly has always been a favorite of mine for its distinctive look and how its scale aligns nicely with residential homes situated on smaller lots. These holly trees display a weeping canopy that’s fine textured and graceful, rewarding viewers with red berries in the winter months that also provides forage for birds. This Florida native thrives and remains evergreen even after the coldest of freezes that one can expect in the Sarasota area. Additionally, not only are the trees low maintenance, but they also thrive in a variety of areas — from sandy soils near our beaches to slow-percolation soils found throughout the majority of communities east of I-75. Photo: South Florida Plant Guide.
Chris Culp, Landscape Designer: My favorite shrub variety is the Dwarf Stokes Holly. These shrubs are bullet proof, shape wonderfully and are drought resistant. I’ve had more than one client refer to them as plump little pillows because of their plush rounded shapes. They’ll grow two to three feet tall in full sun/light shade and don’t require a lot of water. What I especially like about these low profile shrubs is how they can be used as a ground cover since their foliage is so dense and compact. You can let them spread to form a nice green mat or maintain them as individual shrubs. They’re powerful little shrubs that pack a lot of personality and impress in almost any size landscape.
Brian Clouser, ArtisTree Landscape Designer: I like the Nellie Stevens Holly because it actually looks like a holly. It has dark green leaves and produces red berries in the winter, giving it that classic, quintessential look that everyone associates with hollies. I like these for their natural architectural form and prefer they have a full canopy to the ground. They work beautifully used as an accent or to anchor the corner of a home. I would definitely recommend the Nellie Stevens Holly as one of the best holly trees in our area, especially since it can tolerate all of our heat and humidity. Plus, it’s cold hardy as well. Photo: South Florida Plant Guide.
Conan Michel, ArtisTree Landscape Operations Manager: Sky Pencil Japanese Holly gives you a well-manicured formal look that can frame your front door or windows due to its column-growing form. Because of its upright nature, you can also use it as narrow hedge, container plant, or install in just about any confined space as long as there’s part shade or full sun (the crown will get fuller in more sun). A lot of homeowners think Sky Pencil hollies are fussy because they look so formal and elegant, but they do a great job resisting pests and diseases, and they tolerate drought and salt spray, too.
ArtisTree VP/Landscape Joe Mantkowski & landscape designers Clinton Lak, Chris Culp and Brian Clouser, along with Landscape Operations Manager Conan Michel.
ArtisTree “Plantopinions” is a roundtable debate between ArtisTree experts on the virtues of various plant specimens. Sometimes there’s consensus and sometimes not. In the end, you are the judge.
Contact ArtisTree Landscape 941.488.8897
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