Holly might not normally seem like a large enough plant to use for privacy, but that's not the case with this cultivar. Nellie Stevens holly (Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens') can actually reach heights of 30 ...

However, my go-to tall privacy screen is Nellie R. Stevens holly. It grows to 12 to 15 feet tall and 8 or 9 feet wide with very infrequent trimming. It actually can grow even larger in Southeast and ...

Q: What is the best way to feed and prune a number of Nellie R. Stevens hollies we planted five years ago in order to encourage vertical growth? A: Before I try to answer that, let me remind you that ...

DEAR NEIL: When should I prune my Nellie R. Stevens holly? How much can I trim it? Dear Reader: The best time to trim and reshape any evergreen shrub is late winter, a few weeks before the burst of ...

The new Christmas tree on the downtown Denton Square might seem humble in size at the moment. But in two to three years, Denton County Landscape Project Manager Fred Burrell said, the new Nellie R.

Dear Neil: I need a tall screen for our backyard. It needs to be evergreen, and I’d like it to grow to be 10 or 12 feet tall. It’s rather shady. What would you suggest? A: Nellie R. Stevens holly ...

Dear Neil: I planted two small Japanese yews a year ago to act as privacy screening plants. They have grown well, but I can already tell it will take too long for them to give the privacy I need. Can ...

Dear Neil: I’m planting Nellie R. Stevens hollies along our 6-foot privacy fence and will top it at 8 feet. How far a part should I space them, and how far should they be away from the fence 18, 24 or ...

DEAR NEIL: If I wanted to grow a Nellie R. Stevens holly as a tree, how would I train it? I see nice shrubs in the nursery. What should I be looking for? Dear Reader: If you want a single-trunk tree ...

Q: My Nellie R. Stevens hollies are 3 years old. Until this year they have done well. They are on daily drip irrigation, and in June and July, I added hand-watering and feed. All the plants are slowly ...