Why don’t my hollies get berries?

Hollies are dioecious, which means that flowers are borne on separate male and female plants. If there is a compatible male in the area to pollinate your female, they will produce berries. Hollies are species specific when it comes to pollination. This means they don't cross pollinate with other species of hollies outside. For example, a male Ilex opaca holly is needed to pollinate a female Ilex opaca. Winterberries are early, mid, and late season flowering so females need the corresponding blooming time male winterberry to produce berries.

 

We sell compatible male hollies for all of our female hollies.

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Why are the leaves on my hollies turning yellow in the spring?

As the new growth on evergreen hollies emerges in April, the inner leaves turn yellow and shed. As deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall, hollies shed their leaves in the spring. This is a naturally occurring process and doesn't mean your holly is dying.