Burford holly
Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii' · Aquifoliaceae
A large, dense, glossy evergreen holly with almost spineless leaves and a heavy crop of red berries, set without a male plant. It tolerates heat and drought.
- Size
- 15 ft tall, 11½ ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Burford holly
The planner designed this bed around Burford holly when this page was made: a 30 × 14 ft (9.1 × 4.3 m) English border in zone 7, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 977 that suit those conditions, and says below why Burford holly stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Burford holly × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 35, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 80, blue
- 4 Sasanqua camellia × 1, white
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 3, pink
- 6 Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' × 5, tan
- 7 False sunflower × 3, yellow
- 8 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 9 Nodding onion × 52, pink
- 10 Gloriosa daisy × 11, yellow
- 11 Rose turtlehead × 8, pink
- 12 Pineapple lily × 5, purple
- 13 Orienpet lily × 2, yellow
- 14 Camassia × 7, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- A classic partner for sasanqua camellia. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do sasanqua camellia and switchgrass 'Prairie Sky'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 15 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 26 of the 33 groups (79%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Leadwort is planted in 20 places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The most in flower at one time is 9 kinds, in early August.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Needs revision. Its weakest point is height and scale: Heights average about 12 in at the front, 24 in in the middle and 4 ft at the back. Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' is airy enough to see through, so it comes forward of its height.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Burford holly goes in a border
At 15 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It grows much larger than people expect; give it the space, or choose the dwarf form. Its dark, polished foliage is a fine background for lighter plants.
- Tall evergreen screens in the South
- A specimen or small tree
- Winter berries
What to plant with Burford holly
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lilyturf: adds the flowers, early August to mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Sasanqua camellia: adds the flowers, early October to mid December; low enough (8 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Daylily: adds the flowers, late June to early August; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about Burford holly
Does Burford holly need sun or shade?
Burford holly grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Burford holly grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 9. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should Burford holly be planted?
8 ft (250 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 11½ ft (350 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 15 ft (450 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Burford holly plants do I need?
Usually one. At 8 ft (250 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 8 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Burford holly poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The berries and leaves cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like Burford holly?
These come closest to doing what Burford holly does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Wax myrtle: the same job in a bed and the same size; fine leaves, not medium.
- Mugo pine: the same job in a bed; 10 ft shorter, 2½ ft narrower.
- Coral bark maple: the same job in a bed; 20 in wider, not evergreen.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Burford holly?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does Burford holly look like in winter?
Burford holly keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for winter berries as well.
Is Burford holly good for bees and butterflies?
Burford holly is visited by pollinators, bees, specialist bees and songbirds.
More Ilex
- Blue holly Ilex x meserveae
- Blue holly 'Blue Princess' Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princess'
- Dwarf yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'
- Inkberry Ilex glabra
- Inkberry 'Gem Box' Ilex glabra 'SMNIGAB17' (Gem Box)
- Inkberry 'Shamrock' Ilex glabra 'Shamrock'
- Japanese holly 'Helleri' Ilex crenata 'Helleri'
- Japanese holly 'Sky Pencil' Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil'
- Japanese holly 'Soft Touch' Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch'
- Winterberry Ilex verticillata
- Winterberry 'Berry Poppins' Ilex verticillata 'FARROWBPOP' (Berry Poppins)
- Winterberry 'Red Sprite' Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'
- Winterberry 'Winter Red' Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 15 ft (450 cm) tall, 11½ ft (350 cm) wide
- Plant
- 8 ft (250 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Aquifoliaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern China, Korea
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, specialist bees, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, humidity, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.