Helleri Holly

Size	Price	Quantity
3 GAL	$45.95

Helleri Holly is an easy to grow shrub that makes a great hedge or low border in partially shaded areas in the landscape. Needs little to no pruning, making this a wonderful, low maintenance shrub. Little or no maintenance makes it an excellent choice for foundation, borders, or where a small hedge is needed.

Specifications

Growing Zone:	6-9
Mature Height:	3 to 4 feet
Mature width:	3 to 4 feet
Classification:	Broad leaved evergreen shrub
Sunlight:	Full Sun to part shade
Habit:	Densely branched, Mounding
Foliage:	Dark Green
Flower Color:	White flowers that produce Black Berries
Pruning Season:	Prune in late spring to maintain shape
Soil Condition:	Any well drained soil
Water Requirement:	Water well until established.
Uses:	Extremely attractive when used as in the mixed border, foundations, or planted in mass.

We suggest when planting your newly purchased Helleri Holly that you dig a hole twice as wide as the root system but not deeper. Depending on the quality of your existing soil you may need to add a locally sourced compost or topsoil to the back-fill soil. We do not recommend using straight topsoil or compost as a back-fill soil because more times than not these products will retain entirely to much moisture and will cause the root system to rot. Adding compost or topsoil will help the young feeder roots of Helleri Holly to spread through the loose, nutrient rich soil, much easier than if you used solely the existing soil which more times than not will be hard and compacted. The most common cause of plant death after transplanting is planting the new plant to deep. That is why we do not recommend planting in a hole any deeper than the soil line of the plant in the pot. A good rule is that you should still be able to see the soil the plant was grown in after back-filling the hole. Bio-tone starter fertilizer is a great starter fertilizer that provides plants with mycorrhizae fungus. It is a naturally occuring beneficial fungus that colonizes on the new growing roots of plants. It creates a barrier between the roots of the plant and fungus and pathogens that can cause root rot. We love this product and use it on all plants we install in our own gardens. Bio-tone is a gardeners best friend and can help guarantee your success. Watering Helleri Holly: After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Helleri Holly a good deep watering. This is not to be rushed. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. You’ll want to water the bushes regularly after planting until they’ve been well established. We like to tell folks that when watering Hollies or any plant for that matter its best not to water the foliage of the plant. Water at the base of the plant near the soil line only. Gator bag Jr. can be used to help aid in this process and also provide plants with a good soaking due to the slow release of the water into the root-zone of the plant. Soaker Hoses can also be used to water when planting a long hedge.

when should I mulch?

When should I fertilize my holly?

Plants such as Helleri Holly grow best if they are fertilized once in the spring and again in early summer. Helleri Holly favors nutrient rich soil and ample fertilization. Helleri Holly benefits from an fertilizer which can help raise the acid level of the soil such as Holly-Tone by Espoma. When selecting a fertilizer for your Helleri Holly, if soil Ph is not an issue a simple balanced fertilizer can be used such as Tree-tone. Either chemical fertilizers or organic matter can be used successfully. Since an organic method of applying manure and/or compost around the roots, produces excellent results and also improves the condition of the soil, this would be an excellent first line of attack. Organic additions to the soil can also be combined with a shot of chemical fertilizer for maximum effect. If you choose to use chemical fertilizers on your Helleri Holly, applying a slow-release, balanced fertilizer once a year in the spring is probably the simplest solution. There are many slow-release fertilizers on the market. If you can find a fertilizer formulated for shrubs and trees, this fertilizer would work well on Helleri Holly. However, slow-release is certainly not the only way to fertilize Holly such as Helleri Holly although truth be told I feel its the best. A less expensive fast release fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 will work just as well if applied twice during the summer. If you are looking for a fertilizing routine tailored to your specific conditions, a soil sample should be taken and the fertilizer and trace elements matched to the needs of your soil. Don't fertilize Helleri Holly after August in the North. Fall is the time for hollies to begin preparing for dormancy. Fertilizing at this time may stimulate new growth that will be too tender to withstand the winter. In the South, a late summer into September application would be about right. As mentioned one spring application of a balanced fertilizer should more than suffice. The amount of chemical fertilizer used per plant will vary with the size of the plant and it's root system. Over-fertilization can be much more detrimental than under-fertilization. "Fertilizer burn" can occur when too much fertilizer is applied, resulting in a drying out of the roots and damage or even death of the rose.It is much, much better to err on the side of too little fertilizer than too much. When roots are burned, the first sign is often scorched looking leaves. If over-fertilization is severe, the plant may just wilt and die. Helleri Holly is very easy to grow however it may be helpful to know that a very small plant which is planted in the ground will take about 1/8 - 1/4 cup of espoma organic shrub-tone fertilizer. When fertilizing Hollies grown in containers, be careful to apply a fertilizer that will not burn the roots (such as a slow release or a liquid fertilizer). A very large established Hollies in the ground will take 2 - 3 cups of holly-tone spread around the drip line of the branches (not next to the trunk). This is a very loose estimate, so please read the directions on the fertilizer before applying it. Never fertilize a plant with a chemical fertilizer if the plant looks sick or wilted. If a plant is struggling due to a disease or root problems, the fertilizer will only add stress to it's life. Try to cure the problem before adding fertilizer. For a totally organic approach, many gardeners use commercial manure on the soil around shrubs such as Helleri Holly. Excellent results have been reported by visitors to this site after using composted manure. Commercial manure or compost can be applied once in the spring around the base of the Helleri Holly. As with chemical fertilizers, do not apply it right next to the trunk or stems emerging from the ground.

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Specifications

when should I mulch?

When should I fertilize my holly?

when should I prune my holly?