Needlepoint Holly

Here is a wonderful plant to easily define the edge of a property. Use in place of an ugly chain-link fence or beautify and fortify an existing fence.

Beautiful Needlepoint Holly (Ilex cornuta 'Needlepoint') stays glossy green all year round. It grows to form a thick, impenetrable hedge and can be kept low or narrow with annual shearing.

What makes Needlepoint Holly stand out from the pack? The leaves are smooth-sided, except for one single spine at the tip of each leaf. This gives the entire shrub a decidedly different look that the typical spiky-edged holly you are used to.

Use this winning evergreen shrub as a foundation hedge in front of windows or on property edges. The spines make it an excellent deterrent to protect your property, but the overall look is elegant.

Like other Hollies, the Needlepoint Holly will give you a beautiful show of red berries in the fall and winter. But unlike other Hollies, you only need one plant to produce berries in the fall - no cross-pollination from a second variety required!

Starting in fall, the plants produce loads of showy red fruits. The berries last well into winter until your local songbirds eat them! Try them as excellent winter seasonal decoration by cutting branches to place in outdoor containers on either side of your front door.

How to Use Needlepoint Holly in the Landscape

You already know this plant will become a lovely living fence. Let it grow to its full height and width, or keep it sheared up.

For a fence, simply add more shrubs to extend the line of your hedge. Plant them anywhere from 2 feet apart to 5 feet apart. If you are in a hurry, plant them closer together. Be sure to measure from the center of the first, to the center of the second plant.

For the fastest possible hedge, buy the largest plants we have in stock, and plant them 2 feet apart. They'll grow together quickly to form a pretty, yet impassable blockade.

Because Needlepoint Holly takes shearing very well and can be kept at any height you wish; it also makes a great foundation planting. You'll enjoy the crisp, clean good looks all year long.The winter berries are so festive, as well.

Another great use is to incorporate the hard-working Needlepoint Holly in existing shelterbelts or windbreaks. Grow them without pruning into free-form screening plants to add evergreen interest and gain a robust layer of extra wind control.

These ornamental shrubs can also be used as small accent trees. Trim off lower branches to expose the main trunk.

Or, train a young plant against a wall or trellis as an espalier plant. This special treatment will create an amazing feature in your landscape, without taking up precious square footage.

#ProPlantTips for Care

This vigorous plant adapts to most soil types as long as it drains well. If needed, mound up soil 18 inches above your native soil line to improve drainage. You'll plant directly into that mound.

Water regularly to establish new plants in your landscape. Once their roots are growing nicely in your soil, they are able to tolerate drier conditions.

Needlepoint Holly hedges can be pruned just about any time during the growing season. However, you may want to wait until after the plants are done flowering, so they can set fruit for you in fall. Keep in mind that the small white flowers and bright red fruit are born on last year's growth.

If you need a thick hedge that has the added benefit of spiny foliage, then you've found your plant. Order several Needlepoint Hollies to complete your project today!