Holly
Holly is a vegetable in the Aquifoliaceae family. It grows best in full sun to part shade with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 5-9.
Varieties
1 · sorted by days to maturity▸Holly
PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Evergreen shrub (cuttings) (not in original seed catalog). Use: Evergreen foliage and red berries. Note: Dioecious - need male and female for berries; berries toxic if eaten.
Holly (Ilex) is a broad group of evergreen and deciduous shrubs/trees prized for glossy foliage and bright berries; most are dioecious, so a male is needed for a female to fruit.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Ilex spp.|Hardiness zones: 5-9|Propagation: cutting|Light: Full sun to part shade|Water: Medium|Mature size: 3-50 feet
Plan your holly planting
Add holly to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Most keep best refrigerated; storage crops prefer a cool, dry spot.
- Freeze: Blanch briefly, cool, then freeze — keeps color and texture.
- Can: Pressure-can low-acid vegetables; water-bath only pickled/acidified ones.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting
No curated care & troubleshooting advice for holly yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.