Beautifully bright green and with a naturally rounded shape, Ilex Schilling is a dwarf yaupon holly especially well suited for tall groundcover or low hedges.
Ilex Schilling is native to the Southeastern United States and flourishes in the Orlando climate. A multi-trunked or clumping shrub, the Ilex Schilling has dense, slender branches coated with silvery-gray bark. The leaves are small ovals with serrated edges, green and glossy year-round, and without thorns. New leaves appear slightly reddish. Ilex Schilling reaches a mature height of 4 to 7 feet and spreads as wide as 6 to 10 feet. This variety is a male cultivar that produces neither flowers nor berries.
In Florida, plant perennial Ilex Schilling in any season, in light sun to partial shade. Ilex Schilling isn’t fussy about soil type and accepts both dry and wet conditions equally well. Drought tolerant once established, Ilex Schilling is also highly resistant to salty air, somewhat resistant to salty soils and doesn’t mind coastal locations. The growth rate is moderate to slow.
Ilex Schilling creates ornamental, flat-topped formal hedges similar to boxwood. Plant Ilex Schilling hedges in rows with 4- to 5-foot centers placed well back from walkways, since this plant tends to grow wider than it is tall. If lateral trimming is required, prune so that lower branches are longer than upper ones. In random groupings, Ilex Schilling forms a thick, low-maintenance and uniformly green groundcover. Individual plants may be espaliered, sheared into topiaries, or allowed to grow naturally into large foundation shrubs.
