How to Plant a Holly Hedge

Select the best plants for your hedge. Three holly plants recommended by Purdue University for hedges include the Burford Chinese holly, Japanese holly and the American holly. The American holly reaches a height of 45 feet at full maturity. The other two plants grow to 20 feet. All three are broadleaf evergreens. To produce good holly berries and for pollination, you need a female, which produces the berries, and a male, which pollinates, within 30 to 40 feet of each other.

Prepare the ground for planting. Hollies do best in full sun where they will produce more berries than in the shade. Make sure the soil is well-drained, and slightly acidic with plenty of organic content.

Plant the hollies with the roots balled and burlaped in April or May, or September or October. Dig a trench instead of individual holes for the plants, or if you want the hedge thicker, dig two trenches that are 1 foot apart. For the two trenches, the plants should be staggered, as shown in the Purdue University publication on planting hedges. A link is provided in the References section.

Pile brush wood around the young plants until they grow and thicken to protect them from deer or other grazing animals.

Prune the hollies to encourage thicker foliage as well as to shape the plants into a hedge. In late summer, fall or winter, snip off the tips of that season's growth. This will cause the plant to grow denser brush underneath.