Tuesday, September 23, 2025
79.2 F
Kilmarnock

Go Native—Grow Native

Submitted by Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society

Detail of American holly foliage and fruit. Photo by Betsy Washington

American holly, Ilex opaca

The American holly, Ilex opaca, is one of our few broadleaf evergreen trees in the Northern Neck and is a fabulous landscape plant for our gardens.

Hollies have long been a symbol of renewal and life during the depths of winter. They light up the gray and brown winter landscape of our coastal woodlands with their lustrous green leaves that catch the winter light and their scarlet berries. Old hollies in the wild can reach up to 50 feet or more in height with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 feet, but in our gardens they rarely reach…

There's more to this story...
Are you a subscriber? 

 Log in

Many more news articles, photos and ads are available only to those
who
subscribe to our printed newspaper or our online e-Edition.

Pick up a copy or Subscribe today!

Follow us on Social Media

Visit our Advertisers

Your Local Weather

Kilmarnock
clear sky
79.2 ° F
82.8 °
75.7 °
71 %
1.6mph
0 %
Wed
86 °
Thu
82 °
Fri
80 °
Sat
78 °
Sun
70 °