# Common holly: where it grows, pruning and berries

> Common holly (Ilex aquifolium): a native evergreen shrub or small tree up to 10 m, with spiny leaves and red berries. Where it grows well and what it costs.

Canonical: https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/common-holly
Last updated: 2026-09-27

*Ilex aquifolium*

![One common holly as a free-standing small tree on a lawn in front of a wooden fence, in November, with glossy spiny dark green leaves and many red berries](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/hulst-89b8cad4.webp)

Published: 2026-09-27

Common holly (Ilex aquifolium) is a native shrub or small tree that stays
green all year. It grows slowly to 10 metres, usually less. The glossy leaves
have spiny teeth. Small white flowers open in May and June. Only a female
plant then bears red berries. Holly grows in full sun to full shade, but not
in wet soil.

## Common holly at a glance

| Feature | Common holly |
| --- | --- |
| Height | Up to 10 m, usually less |
| Spread | 4 to 8 m |
| Full grown after | 20 to 50 years |
| Sun | Full sun to full shade |
| Soil | Humus-rich sand or loam, not wet |
| Water | Average |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Flowers | May and June, white |
| For bees | Yes: plenty of nectar and pollen, May and June |
| Hay fever | Not or weakly allergenic |
| Leaves | Stay green |
| Hardy | Yes |
| Native | Yes |
| Poisonous | Yes: berries and leaves |
| Pricks or stings | Yes: spiny leaves |
| Price, young | About €10 to €14 each, 60-80 cm, in a pot or with a root ball |
| Price, grown | About €58 to €75 each, 150-200 cm, with a root ball |

- **Leaf**: all year
- **Flower**: May to June
- **Fruit**: September to February

![A glossy dark green holly leaf with a wavy edge and sharp spines on its teeth](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/hulst-leaf-f70e1909.webp)
*Leaf*

![A dense cluster of small white holly flowers with green centres and pink buds, among spiny dark green leaves](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/hulst-bloom-5319de28.webp)
*Flower*

![A cluster of glossy red holly berries, each with a dark tip, among spiny dark green leaves](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/hulst-fruit-21240df5.webp)
*Fruit*

## How do I recognise common holly?

Start with the leaves. Each leaf is 3 to 8 centimetres long, oval, thick and
leathery. The upper side is a glossy dark green, the underside pale green and
dull. The wavy edge carries sharp, spiny teeth. On older plants, more and
more leaves have a smooth edge without spines.

The flowers grow in small, dense clusters in the leaf axils. Each flower is
white, 6 to 7 millimetres across, and usually has four petals. Male and female
flowers grow on separate plants. The berries are red, rarely yellow, and 0.6
to 1 centimetre across. The bark is thin and smooth.

A variegated holly such as 'Silver Queen' has a broad cream margin around the
leaf. The wild holly is plain dark green.

> **Did you know?**
>
> Names can mislead. 'Silver Queen' is a male plant. So this holly never bears
> berries, whatever its name suggests.

## Where does common holly grow best?

Holly does well in full sun and in partial shade. The plain green wild holly
also tolerates full shade. A variegated holly is better in the sun, where the
leaves colour best. In the wild the plant grows in broadleaf woods, at
woodland edges, on wooded banks and in hedges. Humus-rich sand or loam suits
it.

Three spots in a garden suit holly badly:

- **Wet ground with standing water.** Too much water in the soil damages the
  roots.
- **Soil that turns bone dry every summer.** Holly struggles there too,
  especially in its first years.
- **Right beside a narrow path or a play area.** The spiny leaves prick anyone
  who brushes past.

In the app you see your own plot to scale, with the neighbouring houses
around it. On that plan you look for the spot where a holly can keep growing
for years.

## Planting and caring for common holly

A holly in a pot can go in at any time of year. Autumn and spring are best,
because the soil is then moist and warm enough for new roots. A plant with a
root ball, its roots and soil wrapped in cloth, goes in between autumn and
early spring. The plant is dormant then.

Plant a free-standing holly 2 to 4 metres from the fence: half the spread of
a full-grown plant. On planting day that looks far too roomy. Holly grows so
slowly, though, that the space only fills after many years. For the first two
years, water when spring or summer is dry. Wear sturdy gloves for every job.

| When | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| July or August | On a free-standing holly, shorten competing tops so one main stem remains |
| Late August | Clip a holly hedge into shape |
| July or August, when it is too big | Cut back at most a third; spread anything more over two or three years |

A dense holly can hide a nest. Many bird species breed from March through
July, and some carry on into August. So look between the branches for a nest
first.

## Common holly problems and what to do

**No berries appear.** Only a female holly bears berries. A female plant also
needs a male plant within 20 to 50 metres. If there is none nearby, plant one.

**The leaves have yellowish-white or purplish blotches.** That is a leaf
miner, a small larva that feeds inside the leaf. The plant hardly suffers
from it. Leave it be.

**A black deposit covers the leaves.** That deposit points to scale insects,
small insects that suck sap from the plant. A healthy plant copes well with a
few of them. If you see the insects or their eggs in spring or summer, remove
them.

**The plant drops a lot of leaves and branches die back.** That can be a leaf
disease. Where branches die back, also check the roots for honey fungus.

## Which birds and insects use common holly?

Blackbirds, song thrushes, fieldfares and redwings like to eat holly berries.
The dense, spiny leaves also give birds good cover and a place to escape to.

The holly blue, a butterfly, lays its spring eggs mainly on alder buckthorn
and holly. The eggs go on the flower buds or the young fruit. The young
caterpillars eat those buds and fruit. In summer the butterfly mostly chooses
[common ivy](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/common-ivy). The holly blue flies from mid-March to
early October, in two or three generations.

## Is common holly poisonous or edible?

The leaves and berries of holly are poisonous. Eating a lot of berries causes
violent vomiting and diarrhoea, sometimes drowsiness too. Eating two berries
is fairly harmless. The berries are not for eating, and neither is the rest of
the plant.

The photos on this page were made with AI, based on real photos and descriptions of this plant.

## Frequently asked questions

### How big does common holly get?

Common holly grows up to 10 metres tall and 4 to 8 metres wide. Most plants stay lower, and a holly is only full grown after 20 to 50 years.

### Why does my holly have no berries?

Only a female holly bears berries. A female plant also needs a male holly nearby, within 20 to 50 metres.

### When should you prune common holly?

In July or August. Take off at most a third a year, and look between the branches for a nest first. Sturdy gloves help, because the leaves prick.

### Is common holly poisonous?

Yes. The leaves and the berries are poisonous. Eating a lot of berries causes violent vomiting and diarrhoea, sometimes drowsiness too.

### Can common holly grow in shade?

Yes. The plain green wild holly also tolerates full shade, but grows best in full sun or partial shade. A variegated holly is better in the sun, where its leaves colour well.

## Sources

- [Duistermaat, Sparrius & Denters, Standaardlijst van de Nederlandse flora 2020 (Gorteria 43)](https://natuurtijdschriften.nl/pub/1019223)
- [NDFF Verspreidingsatlas — Ilex aquifolium](https://www.verspreidingsatlas.nl/0658)
- [Flora van Nederland — Hulst](https://www.floravannederland.nl/planten/hulst)
- [Wilde planten in Nederland en België — Hulst](https://www.wilde-planten.nl/hulst.htm)
- [RHS — Ilex aquifolium (common holly)](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/9087/ilex-aquifolium/details)
- [RHS — How to grow hollies](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/hollies/how-to-grow-hollies)
- [RHS — Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Queen'](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/89342/ilex-aquifolium-silver-queen-m-v/details)
- [RHS — Holly leaf miner](https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/holly-leaf-miner)
- [RHS — Cushion scale](https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=483)
- [LUMC — Bomenkompas voor allergeniciteit](https://www.lumc.nl/siteassets/over-het-lumc/maatschappelijke-rol/bomenkompas/bestanden/bomenkompas-brochure-5-apr-2023.pdf)
- [Imkerpedia — Drachtplanten (nectar- en pollenwaarde voor de honingbij)](https://www.imkerpedia.nl/wiki/index.php/Drachtplanten)
- [De Vlinderstichting — Boomblauwtje](https://www.vlinderstichting.nl/vlinder/boomblauwtje/)
- [Vogelbescherming — Uw tuin een vogeltuin (vogelvriendelijk tuinadvies)](https://www.vogelbescherming.nl/docs/2d2102d9-cb44-40a8-abc3-ad380d9ff972.pdf)
- [Vogelbescherming — Snoeien in het broedseizoen, mag dat?](https://www.vogelbescherming.nl/actueel/bericht/snoeien-in-het-broedseizoen-mag-dat)
- [Antigifcentrum — Brochure planten](https://www.poisoncentre.be/app/uploads/2026/02/Brochure-planten-NL-1.pdf)
- [Heijnen Planten — Hulst 60-80 cm met kluit (prijs)](https://www.heijnen-planten.nl/hulst-ilex-aquifolium-haag-60-80-kluit)
- [Heijnen Planten — Hulst 150-175 cm met kluit (prijs)](https://www.heijnen-planten.nl/hulst-ilex-aquifolium-haag-150-175-kluit)
- [Heijnen Planten — Hulst 175-200 cm met kluit (prijs)](https://www.heijnen-planten.nl/hulst-ilex-aquifolium-haag-175-200-kluit)
- [Yarinde — Groene hulst (prijs)](https://yarinde.nl/products/hulst-ilex-aquifolium)
- [Wikimedia Commons — Leaf: photo by AnRo0002 (CC0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20230604Ilex_aquifolium1.jpg)
- [Wikimedia Commons — Flower: photo by AnRo0002 (CC0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20150504Ilex_aquifolium07.jpg)
- [Wikimedia Commons — Fruit: photo by AnRo0002 (CC0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20181209Ilex_aquifolium3.jpg)

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- [How to make a planting plan from sun hours and soil](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/make-planting-plan) - Make a planting plan per section: sun hours first, then the soil map for your region and a roll test for your border, then the plants. Example: six plants. (2026-09-15)
- [Common juniper: where it grows, price and pruning](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/common-juniper) - Common juniper (Juniperus communis): a native conifer 4 to 8 m tall that stays green and pricks. Where it fits, what it costs, how to plant and what goes wrong. (2026-09-28)
- [More about small trees](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/category/plants/bomen/kleine-bomen)