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Botanical name: Ilex vomitoria ‘Pride Of Houston’
Makes a great landscape accent plant with its graceful, upright form; volumes of bright red berries that persist into the winter and attract birds; does best in evenly moist, acidic soil but is drought tolerant; can be shaped into a small tree.
| Hardiness zone | 7a |
|---|---|
| Flower color | chartreuse |
| Foliage type | evergreen |
| Plant form | upright spreading |
| Mature height | 18 feet |
| Spread | 12 feet |
| Light requirements | full sun to partial shade |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | North American native |
Pride Of Houston Yaupon Holly is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. It features an abundance of magnificent red berries in early fall. It has attractive dark green foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The flowers are not ornamentally significant.
Pride Of Houston Yaupon Holly is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds and bees to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Pride Of Houston Yaupon Holly is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Accent, Mass Planting, Hedges/Screening, Container Planting
Pride Of Houston Yaupon Holly will grow to be about 18 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 25 years.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.
Pride Of Houston Yaupon Holly makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
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