University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

Download PDF
Publication #FPS-275

 

ilex Vomitoria 'Schilling's Dwarf Schilling's Dwarf Holly1

Edward F. Gilman2

Introduction

The symmetrical, dense, rounded form of Schillings dwarf holly requires infrequent pruning to maintain its 4- to 6-foot height and spread (Fig. 1). Ideally suited as a low-growing foundation plant, Schillings dwarf holly works well as a tall groundcover because it forms a low, dense cover of green foliage when planted in mass. It is often sheared into low hedges in formal gardens, similar to the boxwoods in the early American gardens. The small, dark green leaves have a reddish cast when they are young and no spines. This cultivar of a male plant will produce no berries.

General Information

Scientific name: Ilex vomitoria Schillings Dwarf

Pronunciation: EYE-lecks vom-mit-TOR-ee-uh

Common name(s): Schillings dwarf holly

Figure 1. 

Schilling's dwarf holly


[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Plant type: shrub

USDA hardiness zones: 7 through 10 (Fig. 2)

Planting month for zone 7: year round

Planting month for zone 8: year round

Planting month for zone 9: year round

Planting month for zone 10: year round

Figure 2. 

Shaded area represents potential planting range.


[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

Origin: native to Florida Height: 4 to 7 feet

Uses: bonsai; foundation; mass planting; container or above-ground planter; superior hedge; espalier

Description

Height: 4 to 7 feet
Spread: 6 to 10 feet
Plant habit: round
Plant density: dense
Growth rate: slow
Texture: fine

Foliage

Leaf arrangement: alternate
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: serrate
Leaf shape: ovate
Leaf venation: pinnate
Leaf type and persistence: evergreen
Leaf blade length: less than 2 inches
Leaf color: green
Fall color: no fall color change
Fall characteristic: not showy

Flower

Flower color: white
Flower characteristic: spring flowering

Fruit

Fruit shape: no fruit
Fruit length: no fruit
Fruit cover: no fruit
Fruit color: no fruit
Fruit characteristic: no fruit

Trunk and Branches

Trunk/bark/branches: not particularly showy; typically multi-trunked or clumping stems
Current year stem/twig color: gray/silver
Current year stem/twig thickness: thin

Culture

Light requirement: plant grows in part shade/part sun
Soil tolerances: extended flooding; acidic; slightly alkaline; sand; loam; clay
Drought tolerance: high
Soil salt tolerances: moderate
Plant spacing: 36 to 60 inches

Other

Roots: sprouts from roots or lower trunk
Winter interest: no special winter interest
Outstanding plant: not particularly outstanding
Invasive potential: not known to be invasive
Pest resistance: long-term health

Use and Management

Growing well in sun or light shade in soils from dry to wet, Schillings dwarf holly withstands drought when established and is highly salt-tolerant, making it ideally suited to seaside plantings. It is a selection of the native yaupon holly, which grows naturally without irrigation on the dunes along the Atlantic Ocean. Growth rate is slow to moderate. Plant four to five feet apart for mass planting. Be sure to set plants several feet back from a walk, driveway or lawn area, because plants grow wider than tall and often require pruning to control their lateral growth. If you need to prune in this manner, be sure to leave the bottom of the plant much wider than the top so that lower foliage is left on the plant. If you attempt to shear vertically, the lower branches will be shaded and often lose foliage. This will give the shrub an unsightly, dark, leafless bottom.

Propagation is by cuttings.

Pest and Diseases

No pests or diseases are of major concern.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FPS-275, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date October 1999. Revised May 2007. Reviewed June 2011. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Edward F. Gilman, professor, Environmental Horticultlure Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.