Dwarf Burford Holly (Ilex cornuta 'Dwarf Burfordii')

Getting Started: Understanding Your New Plant

Review your plant's information on our website or the tag that comes with it. Be mindful of sunlight preferences, soil type, and spacing needs.

Our plants are adaptable but grow best in the correct USDA Zones. Click here to learn more about your USDA Zone.

Planting Instructions

Dig a Hole

First, dig a hole three times the width of the root ball of your plant. This makes it easier for the root system to spread out quickly. Dig the hole deep enough that your plant will sit level with or slightly above the ground around it.

Amend Your Soil

Mix your native soil with rich gardening soil to provide extra nutrients and support plant growth. If your soil is clay-heavy, we recommend mixing your native clay soil with equal parts of Pine Bark mulch to improve drainage and the overall breathability of your soil.

Place Your Plant

Examine the roots. If they appear tightly bound, gently coax them apart; this ensures they can spread into the new soil. Place your plant in the hole so the top of the rootball is even with the surrounding soil—Backfill around it with the amended soil mixture. The roots need access to oxygen for your plant to thrive, so do not cover the rootball; place soil around it.

Mulch Your Plants

Top the soil beneath your plant with 3-4 inches of mulch to help it retain moisture. Be careful not to cover the rootball - your new plants roots need access to oxygen.

Water Your Plant

Soak the plant with a hose afterward to hydrate the plant, as well as get the soil and mulch situated. Develop a regular watering schedule based on your plant's needs and local weather patterns. Remember, over watering is just as, if not more, harmful than under watering.

How to Space Your Dwarf Burford Holly

Space your Dwarf Burford Holly 3-4 feet apart for a seamless mid-size hedge. Topping out at 3-6 feet tall, this holly will not be a true privacy hedge at its most mature; you'll want to keep it pruned back to 3-6 feet tall to maintain its density from top to bottom. Use these mid-sized hedges to provide structure to a formal landscape or a hedge
at the edge of your property.

This plant has the potential to reach 4-6 feet wide if left untrimmed, but its habit will mound as it reaches its fully mature width. Therefore, plant them 8+ feet apart for space between unpruned shrubs to create lovely, tall, mounded shrub specimens in your landscape.