Ilex 'Whoa Nellie'
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- EYE-leks
- Description
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Whoa Nellie is a hybrid cultivar in the Aquifoliaceae (holly) family. This evergreen shrub can grow 12-25 feet tall and 8-20 feet wide in a pyramidal form. The attractive new yellow leaves show up well in the landscape and pair nicely with lavender fall-blooming perennials. Whoa Nellie produces a good crop of red berries in the fall with a heavier crop if a male shrub is nearby.
Use this plant as a specimen or hedge in full to part sun. It prefers moist well-drained acid humus-rich soils.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common diseases and insect pests.
VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ilex
- Family:
- Aquifoliaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Wildlife Value:
- Fruits attract the birds
- Dimensions:
- Height: 12 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Drupes are green, maturing to red in fall
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- Small insignificant flowers appear in June-July
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- New grow is yellow in color. Leaves may have 1-2 or no spines.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Cottage Garden
- English Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Songbirds
