Woody Ornamentals

‘Chesapeake’ Japanese Holly has a compact, upright, pyramidal shape, with small lustrous evergreen foliage. The dense habit makes Ilex ‘Chesapeake’ an excellent candidate for a neat short hedge which requires little pruning to maintain its shape. Similar in shape to Ilex ‘Steeds’, ‘Chesapeake’ also works well as a formal foundation plant.

PRN Preferred: Similar in shape to ‘Steeds’, but a tighter form with attractive lustrous foliage.

‘Compacta’ Japanese Holly has small shiny oval leaves on short dense branches. Since Ilex crenata ‘Compacta’ has a neat compact round habit, it seldom requires any pruning. A good choice for foundation plantings, as this is a Holly which will not get “out of control”. Evergreen and sun-loving, with good winter hardiness.

'Green Lustre' Japanese Holly has shiny small green leaves and has a flat-topped shrub habit, grows about twice as wide as toaa, making it excellent for low hedges. It does well at the seashore because it is salt tolerant.  Evergreen and a female form introduced in the 1930s.

'Helleri' Japanese Holly is evergreen with tiny green leaves. on a dwarf, stiffly mounding plant. Our landscaper friend Martin Blackman says this is the only Japanese Holly he can use with success in deer-infested Princeton.  A female introduced in the late 1930s by Newport Nursery.

'Hoogendorn' Japanese Holly has dark green delicate evergreen leaves on a low mounding habit. It is more graceful looking than Ilex c. 'Helleri' and has gotten high praise from Dr. Michael Dirr as one of the best of the small-leaf Japanese Hollies. It was found on Hoogendorn Nursery in Rhode Island, so it's clearly cold tolerant. This male form of Japanese Holly was found at Hoogendown Nursery and named by T. Dodd.

'Sky Pencil' Japanese Holly has a very upright columnar form and glossy evergreen foliage. It looks like an exclamation point in the landscape. It is also salt tolerant. Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil' needs some babysitting after snowfall to avoid bending branches.  A female form found in Japan and introduced by the US National Arboretum and W. Steeds.

'Soft Touch' Japanese Holly is an evergreen with shiny dark green tiny leaves on a dense beautiful shrub that needs little pruning. Branches are more flexible than I. c. 'Helleri', so it doesn't break easily (a better landscape choice, sometimes called 'Soft Helleri'). 

PRN Preferred: Similar in size to ‘Helleri’ but softer looking and less rigid (so less likely to have breaking branches).

'Steeds' Japanese Holly has an upright pyramidal form with dark green glossy evergreen foliage, excellent for hedging. Ilex crenata 'Steeds' is also salt tolerant.  A male form, named and introduced by W. Steeds.

'Compacta' Inkberry Holly is a compact, tight form of Ilex glabra which also has fairly large round evergreen leaves. Wet site and salt tolerant, as are all of the Inkberry cultivars.  A female found by our father William Flemer III in the Pine Barrens.

PRN Preferred: Habit is tight but full, with large attractive evergreen leaves.

Dark green leathery leaves of Ilex glabra 'Densa' are rounder and wider than I. g. 'Shamrock'. It will become a tall but dense-leafed shrub. Takes pruning well. Evergreen, it is also wet site and salt tolerant. The top performer in the recent shrub trials at Longwood Gardens. A female form found by our cousin Bert Flemer in 1938 at F&F Nurseries in NJ.

Proven Winners® Color Choice® Gem Box® ('SMNIGAB17') Inkberry Holly is an exciting alternative to Boxwoods. The habit is round and full to the ground, without the bare branch look which many Ilex glabras exhibit as they age.  As Boxwood Blight becomes more of a regional problem, this tough native evergreen shrub will become more important for containers, low hedges and small round garden specimens.  New growth is spring has reddish tips which mature to small dark green leaves. 

'Shamrock' Inkberry is a compact upright form of Ilex glabra with small glossy leaves. It is wet site tolerant and great for evergreen hedges.  It is slower growing than 'Compacta' and 'Nordic'.  A female form named and introduced in 1977 by John Tankard of Tankard Nurseries in Virginia.

Strongbox® ('Ilexfarrowtracey') Inkberry Holly is a welcome introduction from Proven Winners offering a good native substitute for Boxwoods.  Ilex glabra Strongbox® looks like a short round Buxus, but it is more sun tolerant and moisture tolerant., as well an unthreatened by Boxwood Blight.  Since this compact Inkberry stays full to the ground, it can be used in containers, for low hedges and in mass plantings.  The tight habit and small leaves make pruning rarely necessary.

'Dan Fenton' American Holly was selected by Rutgers' Dr Orton and named by him after South Jersey's "Mr Holly", in honor of his contribution to popularizing our Native Hollies.  This has caused no end of teasing for Dr Orton, since 'Dan Fenton' is clearly a female Ilex opaca, chosen for its plentiful red fruit as much as its lustrous clean dark green foliage.  'Dan Fenton' American Holly is one of the most beautiful evergreens in the winter, providing bright red fruit over its lovely large leaves.  Like all Ilex opacas, it prefers some shelter from the winter winds.

'Maryland Dwarf' American Holly is a very unusual female form of our wonderful native evergreen Holly.  It slowly forms a very wide mound, with dark green minimally spiny leaves and some red fruit production.  American Hollies are amazingly versatile in the North East, thriving from sunny swampy areas to dry shade locations, so 'Maryland Dwarf' can be used in a number of different locations.  It was introduced by in 1942 by E. Dilatush from Bunting Nursery.  Definitely an unusual, groundcover shrub.

PRN Preferred:  Definitely an unusual groundcover shrub which we love because of its diversity.

'Satyr Hill' American Holly is considered by the American Holly Society to be one of the best female forms, for both foliage and fruit.  The dark olive-green leaves are somewhat flatter than most opacas, and 'Satyr Hill' produces abundant red fruit from early October through the winter.  Berries provide winter interest, high quality food, shelter and nesting habitat for birds. Its growth habit is an upright vigorous pyramid, so it makes an excellent specimen as well as a good choice for hedging.  Introduced by S. McLean.

The smooth, lustrous evergreen leaves of Longstalk Holly set off the beautiful red berries held on long peduncles throughout the fall and winter. One of the hardiest evergreen red fruiting Hollies.  A great cut green to bring into the house, especially since it's spineless. We've loved this Ilex for years and our selection often has 3 berries per peduncle, making it very showy and loved by winter birds.

Male Longstalk Holly is the proper pollinator for our female selection. In order to get the best fruit set possible, use at least 1 male for every 5 females.  We originally received our Ilex pedunculosa seed from the Arnold Arboretum, which introduced this beautiful Holly to the US in 1892.

'Chrysocarpa' Winterberry has bright yellow fruit which lasts well into the winter (birds prefer to eat red fruit). Its deciduous leaves drop somewhat earlier than most red-fruited varieties, so that the fruit is visible early in the fall. The pollinator is I. 'Jim Dandy'. Like all Winterberries, it is wet site tolerant.

PRN Preferred:  The best yellow fruited Winterberry we grow.

Jim Dandy' Winterberry is the early blooming pollinator for Ilex verticillata 'Afterglow', 'Chrysocarpa', 'Goldfinch', 'Maryland Beauty', 'Red Sprite' and 'Stoplight'. Deciduous.

Producing profuse amounts of large red fruit all winter on an extremely compact plant, Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite' never needs pruning! The pollinator for this deciduous Winterberry Holly is 'Jim Dandy'. It is also wet site and salt tolerant.

PRN Preferred:  Can't say enough about this plant, it's compact, doesn't need pruning and has larger fruit and a longer berry display.

Southern Gentleman' Winterberry is the pollinator for Ilex verticillata Winter Red® and 'Winter Gold'.

Wildfire™ (‘Bailfire’) Winterberry Holly is part of Bailey Nurseries’ First Editions® series of introductions. Ilex verticillata Wildfire™ is a female Winterberry with good production of large red fruit. Wildfire™ is a vigorous, adaptable native which can be used as an excellent source of cut branches for decoration in the fall and early winter. The preferred pollinator is ‘Jim Dandy.’

'Christmas Jewel' ('HL10-90') Holly is a small pyramidal female Ilex with abundant large red fruit at a very young age. Narrow dark shiny evergreen leaves, does not need a pollinator. It was introduced by Bob Head of Head-Lea Nursery.

With shiny dark green leaves and plentiful fruit, 'Nellie R. Stevens' Holly is a fast-growing pyramidal Ilex shrub. The small spring flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators and the fall red fruit is consumed by birds.   'Nellie R. Stevens' is a hybrid cultivar of I. aquifolium and I. cornuta.  It was released by G.A. Van Lennep, Jr., St. Michael, MD in 1954 and named for the owner Nellie R. Stevens.  

Red Beauty® ('Rutzan') Holly is another introduction from Dr. Elwin Orton's lifelong work with the genus Ilex. The shiny dark green leaves are spiny, neat and small, covering its conical, pyramidal form. It is readily pollinated by Ilex x meserveae males, and the fruit is attractive on its evergreen setting all winter. Slow growing and narrow, it fits in well in smaller garden spaces. Most exciting of all, it has proved to be extremely deer resistant according to Bruce Crawford of The Rutgers Gardens.

Ilex x Robin™ ('Conin') is one of the best Red Holly selections, introduced jointly by Flowerwood and Evergreen Nurseries in the 1990s. Large leaved new foliage emerges red and matures to a lustrous dark green. The upright pyramidal plant becomes covered with bright red berries, and is self-pollinating. It is evergreen, and does best with some protection from winter winds.

Dragon Lady® ('Meschick') Holly is a very glossy, upright female plant, with an excellent fall and winter display of bright red fruit. Ilex x aquipernyi Dragon Lady® was hybridized by Kathleen Meserve. Evergreen and does not need a pollinator.  Ilex 'Dragon Lady' has proved to be very resistant to deer browse.

Blue Prince® Meserve Holly is an excellent pollinator for most of the Blue Hollies because of its lengthy bloom period.  The foliage is somewhat spiny, with beautiful lustrous blue-green foliage set off by dark purplish stems.  Ilex x meserveae Blue Prince® is evergreen and compact, and does not need a lot of pruning to keep it neat.  Like its matching relative, Blue Princess®, it makes an excellent hedge.  In the winter the foliage takes on a somewhat purple cast.

Shiny dark blue-green leaves, excellent fruit set of bright red berries and compact growth habit makes Blue Princess® ('Conapry') Holly one of the best broadleaf evergreen Hollies. Blue Prince® is the preferred pollinator.

‘Pink Frost’ Florida Anise Tree was found as a branch sport in Georgia by Mickey Harp. The evergreen leaves are a somewhat crinkly cream and green, set off by pinkish petioles. In winter, the lustrous cream and light green foliage becomes pinkish rose. ‘Pink Frost’ needs winter protection from afternoon sun and winds.

‘Swamp Hobbit’ Florida Anise Tree is a very dwarf form of our native evergreen shrub. The lustrous green leaves and red sea-anemone like flowers are a normal size, but the branch internodes are very short, so Illicium floridanum ‘Swamp Hobbit’ is slow growing. It was found in Alabama by the great plantsman Dr. Ron Miller of Pensacola, Florida, but will survive in zone 7 winters if protected from afternoon sun and wind in winter.

‘Florida Sunshine’ Yellow Anise Tree is a beautiful sport of our native Anise Trees in Florida, found by Tony Avent on a trip with the JC Raulston Arboretum folks. The evergreen foliage is an amazing lustrous chartreuse yellow, with its most intense coloration in spring and fall. The new growth stems take on reddish tones particularly in the winter. Illicium parviflorum ‘Florida Sunshine’ not only lights up dark shade, but it also is very deer resistant. Wow!

‘Orion’ (‘NCIH2’) Anise Tree comes from the work of Dr. Tom Ranney of NCSU. He crossed Illicium floridanum with Illicium mexicanum to come up with the white flowered Illicium x ‘Orion’. The green lustrous foliage is evergreen and prefers some shade, especially in winter. All Illiciums bloom throughout most of the year with little sea anemone-like flowers. The foliage is both fragrant and highly deer resistant.

'Woodland Ruby' Anise Tree has deep reddish strap-like flowers for an extended period beginning in early summer and blooming sporadically through fall. Anise-scented lush evergreen foliage is somewhat reflexed in winter. Illicium x 'Woodland Ruby' needs protection from winter winds and is happiest in some shade, but will tolerate more sun given enough moisture. Per Bruce Crawford, it is happy in both wet and dry shade sites (as are many flood plain plants).  Illicium ‘Woodland Ruby’ is a hybrid cross between I. floridanum ‘Alba’ and I. mexicanum.   2024 PHS Gold Medal Plant.

Indigofera amblyantha becomes covered with delicate pink flower spikes in early to late summer. Indigo has an extended showy flowering season. Indigofera does well in shady dry sites.  Introduced from China in 1908.

Chinese Indigo has clear pink flowers on slender racemes which are produced from June through the summer. Indigofera decora stays low but gets wide, because of its suckering habit. The flower display looks like short pink Wisteria blossoms.  Try it on walls, where you can see flowers more easily.  Native to Japan and China

Himalayan Indigo has panicles of purple-pink flowers from June to fall. Prune to produce new shoots which result in more flowers.  Indigofera gerardiana has delicate grayish-green foliage, and is happy in shady locations.  Cultivated in 1840 from Northwest Himalaya.

'Henry's Garnet' Sweetspire has fragrant white flowers in June and burgundy-scarlet fall foliage. Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' was named by the Scott Arboretum after Mary Henry. Per Bruce Crawford of The Rutgers Gardens, this is the most cold tolerant of all the Iteas.  It is also wet site tolerant.

Little Henry® ('Sprich') Sweetspire has fragrant white flowers in June and burgundy-scarlet fall foliage. Itea virginica Little Henry® was introduced by Richard Feist. It is also wet site tolerant.

Itea virginica 'Merlot' is a Sweetspire with fragrant white flowers in June and has the most compact habit of our Iteas, with burgundy fall foliage. A wonderful native plant from Mark Griffith, and our favorite Sweetspire for color and habit. It is also wet site tolerant.

PRN Preferred:  A true multi-season plant, colorful twigs in winter, fragrant flower spikes, dense deer resistant colonies in summer and long lasting burgundy foliage in fall.