Evergreen Holly

• Evergreen holly plants have glossy and spiny leaves. They are the classic type of holly that people decorate with during Christmas. When considering using holly to create shade in the garden, keep in mind that evergreen holly shrubs will provide shade year-round, while deciduous types only provide shade during summer. American holly can grow up to 30 feet tall, providing a large amount of shade for the gardener.
  
  

Deciduous Holly

• Most holly stays green year round, but deciduous holly drops its leaves each year during winter. Deciduous hollies do not always have leaves and may not have glossy ones, like evergreen hollies. Both deciduous and evergreen holly plants produce berries, and deciduous holly can come with yellow or red berries. Gardeners in areas with cool winters might like that deciduous hollies do not shade a home as much during a cold and dark winter as an evergreen holly would. Deciduous holly also tolerates colder winters than evergreen hollies. However, deciduous hollies also do not provide winter cuttings with glossy leaves, only with berries.
  
  

Shade Tolerance

• Some gardeners grow holly not to create shade but because it tolerates shady garden conditions better than many other shrubs. Holly tolerates sun, light shade and medium shade, making it a versatile landscaping plant. It can grow near deciduous trees that block sunlight from the holly during part of the year, and allow sunlight to reach the holly during the other part of the year. Holly might survive in heavy shade, but extremely heavy shade can prevent it from flowering or cause its leaves to grow in thinly.
  
  

Care

• Water holly during droughts, as the University of Missouri Extension suggests. Try to keep the soil as evenly moist as possible by irrigating when necessary and by applying a layer of mulch around the base of the plant. Use a balanced fertilizer each spring. Choose a fertilizer with a relatively even ratio of nutrients, like a 10-10-10 fertilizer. Apply it sparingly in accordance with its packaging instructions, because over-fertilization can damage plants and cause polluted water runoff.