Dwarf yaupon holly
Ilex vomitoria 'Nana' · Aquifoliaceae
A dense, rounded mound of tiny evergreen leaves, native to the Southeast. It tolerates drought, salt, wet soil and shearing.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 5 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 dwarf yaupon holly
The planner designed this bed around dwarf yaupon holly when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 977 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf yaupon holly stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf yaupon holly × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 4, purple
- 3 Sea thrift × 13, pink
- 4 Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' × 4, tan
- 5 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 5, yellow
- 6 Purple coneflower × 5, purple
- 7 Pineapple lily × 3, white
- 8 Tulip × 8, pink
- 9 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does switchgrass 'Prairie Sky'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is one of the taller plants 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 false sunflower 'Summer Sun' (3½ 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 13 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: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 55 to 45, left to right. Sea thrift is the plant there is most of: 13 of the 55.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf yaupon holly goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 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.
The toughest small evergreen for hot climates, and a native one. It can be sheared into formal shapes or left as a natural cushion.
- A native boxwood substitute for the South
- Low hedges
- Coastal gardens
What to plant with dwarf yaupon 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.
- Autumn sage: adds the flowers, mid May to mid October; spires rising out of its mound.
- Pink muhly grass: adds the flowers, mid September to early November.
Questions about dwarf yaupon holly
Does dwarf yaupon holly need sun or shade?
Dwarf yaupon 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 dwarf yaupon 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 dwarf yaupon holly be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf yaupon holly plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf yaupon 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 dwarf yaupon holly?
These come closest to doing what dwarf yaupon holly does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Box honeysuckle 'Baggesen's Gold': the same job in a bed; 8 in narrower.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': the same job in a bed; 8 in narrower, wants moist soil.
- Dwarf arctic willow: the same job in a bed and the same size; not evergreen, wants moist soil.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf yaupon 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 dwarf yaupon holly look like in winter?
Dwarf yaupon 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.
Is dwarf yaupon holly good for bees and butterflies?
Dwarf yaupon holly is visited by pollinators, specialist bees, butterflies and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of henry's elfin feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Ilex
- Blue holly Ilex x meserveae
- Blue holly 'Blue Princess' Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princess'
- Burford holly Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii'
- 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
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Host plants for the henry's elfin
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, 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
- USA to Mexico
- Attracts
- Pollinators, specialist bees, butterflies, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Henry's elfin
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, salt, wet soil
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.