The Birds and the Berries

The Possum Haw Holly is a wonderful example of winter beauty and interest. It provides brilliant red, orange and yellow fruit, which appears when the leaves drop by early December. The silvery gray bark is an additional ornamental feature.  This small, deciduous holly tree or large shrub fits nicely in our North Texas home landscapes. It has small leaves similar to yaupon foliage.  Its growth habit is similar to tree-form crape myrtles, 12 to 15 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide.

Attractive To Birds

This winter, when you pass by a Possum Haw holly, you'll do a double-take! Your landscape will also serve as a feeding ground for wildlife. The gray branches, when loaded with berries, make a bright contrast against the sky. The colorful berries last throughout winter unless eaten by birds who love the fruit-- perfect for bird watchers. The colorful berries are a favorite of the Cedar Waxwing and other feathered friends.

Yellow leaf color in fall followed by bright red berries

Give this easy shrub full sun or light shade and average to moist, good soil. Leaves turn a nice yellow before falling off later in the fall.

Medium-sized orange or red berries grow on female plants only. This may be the holly to try in alkaline soils. Plant anywhere you would plant a crape myrtle. For better berries, do not let dry out between waterings. Fertilize hollies in April and August. Both male and female plants must be grown in your yard or in the neighborhood. Try a variety originated in Oklahoma called 'Warren's Red' know for its very heavy fruit production.

Scientific Name: Ilex decidua

Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9 
Height: 12 ft
Spread: 9 ft
Form: rounded 
Type: deciduous shrub 
Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches

Fruit: red

Exposure: Partial shade or Sun

Soil Moisture Preference: Moist