1 named cultivar

‘Wirt L Winn’Wirt L. Winn Koehne Holly

tree

Koehne Holly

Ilex koehneana

The Story

Plant Bio

Ilex koehneana is a dense multi-trunked evergreen holly of hybrid origin, twenty to twenty-five feet high and nearly as wide. Dark green glossy leaves with spined margins are set alternately on smooth stems with silver-grey bark and small purplish buds, and green fruits on female plants ripen to bright red in autumn.

It is one of the largest hollies you can grow, reaching tree size while keeping the dense evergreen cover of a shrub, and it does it multi-trunked rather than on a single leader. NCSU records the flowers feeding bees and the fruit feeding birds and small mammals, which makes a mature specimen a substantial piece of habitat rather than just a screen.

Uses & Benefits:

A tree-sized evergreen with glossy spined foliage, silver-grey bark and heavy red fruit.

Dense enough for a genuine year-round screen and needs almost no maintenance once established.

Flowers feed bees; fruit feeds songbirds and small mammals through winter.

Essentials

At a Glance

Plant Type

Tree

Height

270 inches

Width

246 inches

Light

Full Sun, Partial Sun

Zones

6, 7, 8, 9

Water

Moderate

Humidity

Moderate

Lifespan

Perennial

Native To

Garden hybrid of Asian species

Toxicity

Berries toxic if eaten

Planting

How to Grow

Give it room; it reaches twenty feet in both directions.
Plant in full sun or partial shade in moist drained soil.
Include a male holly nearby for fruit.
Water through the first two summers.
Prune lightly in late winter if needed.
Leave the multi-trunked frame rather than training a leader.

Pro Tip

Give it twenty feet of width from the start — this is a tree-sized holly, and a plant squeezed into a shrub space has to be butchered later.

Keep It Thriving

Care Guide

Do

Allow twenty feet of spread 📏
Plant a male pollinator nearby 🌳
Water through establishment 💧
Keep the multi-trunked habit 🪵

Don't

Plant it close to a building ❌
Expect fruit without a male ❌
Train it to a single leader ❌

Seasonal Care Calendar

Task	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Enjoy
Prune

Watch Out For

Pests & Diseases

Common Pests

Common Diseases

In the Garden

Landscape Uses & Companions

Landscape Uses

Large evergreen specimen treeTall screen or windbreakNaturalised area and woodland edge

Companion Plants

Camellia MahoniaHellebore AucubaChristmas Fern

Multiply

Propagation Methods

Good to Know

Common Questions

Koehne Holly questions

What zones can Koehne Holly grow in?

Koehne Holly is hardy in USDA Zones 6–9. Inside that range it survives winter in the ground; outside it, grow it as an annual or a container plant you protect.

Is Koehne Holly deer resistant?

Yes — Koehne Holly is rated deer-resistant. Deer typically pass it over, though extreme hunger can override any plant's defenses.

When does Koehne Holly bloom?

Koehne Holly typically blooms in spring through late spring. Exact timing shifts a week or two with your zone — Sow's bloom calendar maps it to your garden.

Does Koehne Holly need full sun?

Koehne Holly does best in full sun to part shade. In hot climates, afternoon shade keeps blooms fresher longer.