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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Nellie R. Stevens holly

Ilex

Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeJohn Paul Endicott ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Fast dense screen cited by Henderson County Extension; do not crowd or shear unnecessarily.

Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
15–25
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
8–15
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Glossy evergreen leaves

Identification clue 2

Often a few strong marginal spines

Identification clue 3

Red berry-like drupes

Read the leaves

Thick dark leaves often show a small number of prominent teeth; leaf variation prevents a certain cultivar ID from one image.

More growing details

Read the bark

Gray bark becomes more textured with age.

Fruit & seed

Round red drupes may be showy; fruit color does not distinguish most garden hollies.

Winter character

Evergreen foliage and dense branching are available year-round.

Origin & place

An introduced garden species or horticultural hybrid; study it as part of WNC landscapes rather than assume it belongs to the native mountain flora.

Compare with Other hybrid hollies

Use leaf, flower, and growth characters together; confirm this cultivated hybrid through planting records.

WNC Notes

Fast dense screen cited by Henderson County Extension; do not crowd or shear unnecessarily.

Sun Exposure

Full sun–part shade

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

15–25

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

8–15

BLOOM SEASON

Spring

BLOOM COLOR

White

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Evergreen; red fruit

Wet-Soil Tolerance

High

Drought Tolerance

High

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeJohn Paul Endicott ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Red fruit of Nellie R. Stevens holly — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Red fruit of Nellie R. Stevens holly — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeRandy Harter ↗ · CC BY 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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