Holly, Schilling’s Dwarf


S & J Nursery’s

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly

 for Northeast Florida Landscapes

(Ilex Vomitoria Schilling’s Dwarf)


 Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Origins:Ilex Schillings Dwarf Holly in the Jacksonville Florida Landscape

 – Schilling’s Dwarf Holly is a selection of the native ilex vomitoria Youpon Holly that grows along the coastal regions of the Atlantic.

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Preferred Exposure:

– Schilling’s Dwarf Holly prefers a full sun to partial shade location in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscapes.

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Foliage:

– Small leaves are dark green.

 – Evergreen

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Soil Preference / Salt tolerance:

– Holly plants prefer rich, well drained slightly acid soils but is widely tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions including sand, clay, loam, extended flooding zones, even well drained non irrigated soils

-Salt tolerance extremely high

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Size Variance:

– Schilling’s Dwarf Holly can reach sizes of 4-6+ feet High | 6+ feet Wide but is easily maintained as low as 2 – 3 ft with pruning. This shrub reesponds well to heavy shearing and is often used as a bonsai plant.

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Growth Habit:

– Schilling’s Dwarf Holly has a rounded habit growing wider than tall and tends to lend its use best to a round or mushroom shape.

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Growth Rate:

– Schilling’s Dwarf Holly is a slow growing landscape selection, it may require a little patience to get it to the size you would like it to be in the landscape but its low maintenance habit as well as showy winter berries make it worth the wait.

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Bloom:

-Clusters of small white flowers tend to not be very showy and appear on the plant each spring, no berries.

Schilling’s Dwarf Holly Water Requirements:SAchillings Holly Heavily shaped in the Jacksonville Flordia landscape

– Schilling’s Dwarf Holly is drought tolerant once established into the landscape and requires very little attention to watering except when first being planted from the nursery containers into the landscape, especially during North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area’s hot summer months.

– Burfordii Hollys are an ideal planting for areas that will receive little to no
supplemental irrigation.

Butterfly or Bird Attracting:

– Does not tend to attract wildlife.

Best Uses For Schilling’s Dwarf Holly:

–  Schilling’s Dwarf Holly is often used in masses as a low growing
groundcover planted 3 ft from center to center.

Schillings used as an edging plant in a formal garden setting around statues in the BahamasBahamas– Low maintenance and water requirements make this shrub ideal for a low maintenance landscape or xeroscape for home or commercial applications.

– Few pest or disease problems in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscapes.

 – Great for coastal plantings where salt air and water spray make other shrub selections burn, schillings thrive!

Care of S & J Nursery’s North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine Shrubs:

– Shrubs can be planted in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area at any time during the year. In normal and well draining soils dig the hole as deep as the root ball and two to three times as wide. Plant the top of the root ball level or slightly higher than the surrounding soils. When
planting in poorly drained soils make sure to plant your shrubs a minimum of 3 inches ABOVE the surrounding soil level.

– Water every day during the establishment period. For most 3 gallon size shrubs in the North Florida landscape in average soil, that is neither heavy clay that holds water or really sandy that will take 2-3 weeks of daily watering to ensure that your newly planted shrub will begin to put out new roots and grow into its new home happily. After the first few weeks begin tapering back your watering to every other day then every third day and so on until your newly planted items are flourishing without your assistance.

– If planting larger shrubs you may need to extend the initial care a bit longer to protect your investment and get your shrubs off to the best start possible.

– IMPORTANT: If planting shrubs in heavy clay soils that hold allot of water after a rain or irrigating, remember to check the soil for moisture by sticking your fingers into the soil near the root ball of the newly planted shrub down to 2-3 inches. If it remains wet from the previous watering wait for the top 2-3 inches to dry out before watering again.

– IMPORTANT: When planting shrubs into poor sandy soils be sure to amend the planting hole by mixing compost or cow manure etc. with the native soil that will go back in the hole around the new plants root ball when installing your shrub material, this will not only give your new shrubs good soil to grow its new roots into but help it hold water.

– When planting shrubs from containers be sure to loosen the roots as muchSchilling foliage up close new growth with red stems and tips as possible pulling loose roots away from the root ball before installing your new plants, if the roots are to tight to easily loosen with your hands use a knife to cut a few slits into the root ball being careful to go all
the way from the top to the bottom and making the cut at least an inch deep. This will ensure that your plant will immediately begin to form new roots into its new surrounding soil.

– Mulch newly planted shrubs whenever possible.

– Fertilize each spring with a mixture of Milorganite and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the tree

– Prune as needed to shape each spring and or summer.