Great Shrubs for Southern Landscapes

Volume 4, Issue 31
August 30, 2013
Great Shrubs for Southern Landscapes
Ilex vomitoria, otherwise known as
Yaupon Holly, is a native evergreen shrub that
is exceedingly popular here in the Deep South.
It is most often used as a hedge or in masses,
and the dwarf forms are often used as foundation plantings. It responds well to pruning, and
is highly adaptable in a variety of situations. It
is native from southeastern Virginia to central
Florida, and west to Texas and Oklahoma.
Ilex vomitoria ‘Pendula’
I. vomitoria trimmed into hedge
Birds are attracted to Yaupon’s fruits
Yaupon has been used for centuries
as a medicinal plant, specifically by Native
Americans. The epithet vomitoria actually
refers to how the plant was used by many of the
Southern tribes who would make an infusion of
the leaves, which are naturally high in caffeine,
and drink the subsequent mixture until vomiting
was induced. This purgative practice was a type
of cleansing that was meant to purify the body
and soul. There are many books published about
I. vomitoria and its ancient medicinal uses, one
of which is Black Drink, A Native American
Tea published by University of Georgia Press.
William Bartram in his book Travels described
this infusion’s ceremonial use by the Creek
Indians who inhabited this area in the mideighteenth century.
In the modern landscape, Yaupon can
be sited in virtually any soil from quite dry to
wet, in full sun to partial shade. Because it can
tolerate more drought than other hollies, we
highly recommend this shrub for planting in our
region. It typically reaches heights of around 15
to 20 ft. with a 10 ft. spread, but it can grow
taller in optimum conditions. In its native
habitat, which includes Central Georgia, it
Table of Contents
Great Shrubs for
Southern
Landscapes
pg. 1
Employee Profile:
Charlie Avant
pg. 2
Lockerly Trustees
David Evans,
President
Joe Mangum,
Vice President
Sherrill Jones,
Secretary/Treasurer
Kathy Chandler
Rodger Flotta
Jan Flynn, Ph.D.
Doug R. Oetter, Ph.D.
Taylor Quedensley,
Ph.D.
Dede Reoch
Joni Smith
Bruce Vaughn, CFP
Al Woods
forms a very picturesque, upright, irregularly branched shrub that will
sucker to form thickets. The leaves of I. vomitoria are oblong, leathery,
and dark green with toothed margins. Although not known for its flowers,
the inconspicuous blooms develop in spring, typically in April, and appear
small and greenish-white. Once pollinated on female plants, the flowers
develop into berry-like red fruits which last throughout the fall and
winter, providing interest for the winter landscape. These fruits can be truly
beautiful in certain cultivars and are known to attract birds to the landscape.
Foliage of ‘Bordeaux’
‘Virginia Dare’ fruit
There are numerous outstanding cultivars of I. vomitoria available
on the market today. We have a number of them planted at Lockerly, where
they have thrived through all the extreme weather conditions we have
experienced recently. These include ‘Bordeaux’, which features smaller
leaves than the species and an attractive burgundy
winter foliage, and ‘Nana’, a dwarf, compact form
that has rich, yellow-green leaves. ‘Schillings’
(also known as ‘Stokes Dwarf) is perhaps the most
widely used cultivar and is basically a more compact version of ‘Nana’ that sports smaller leaves.
There is also ‘Virginia Dare’, an orange-fruited
form that is noted for its handsome dark green
foliage. Of the many cultivars we have planted
at Lockerly, ‘Taylor’s Rudolph’ is one of our favorites, bearing dark green foliage and beautifully
displayed dark red fruits on very compact plants.
Beside one of our greenhouses is an excellent specimen of the weeping cultivar ‘Pendula’. Ours is a
female form, about 15 ft. tall, that bears an abundance of brightly colored fruits throughout winter
and persists into spring. Yaupon Holly is perhaps
one of the best evergreen shrubs for any Southern
landscape. This highly adaptable shrub, with its
exceptional drought and disease tolerance, is virtually guaranteed to do well in your garden, so long
as it is sited in a proper location and gets a little
sun. We do not suggest eating the leaves, though.
I. vomitoria ‘Nana’
Employee Profile: Charlie Avant
Lockerly’s newest groundskeeper, Charlie Avant, is a lifetime
native of Macon, Georgia. He attended Stratford Academy from
kindergarten through the twelfth grade, participating in such sports as cross
country, wrestling, and golf while a student there. He is also an Eagle Scout.
His impressive credentials and his previous experience as a golf course
groundskeeper made him an excellent candidate for his newly acquired
position at Lockerly. Charlie is currently a sophomore business major at
Georgia College, where he is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Order.