My Deer Garden

Plant record · Tree

Is Nellie Stevens Holly deer resistant?

Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'

Glossy spined holly leaves with red berries
Photo by Casliber, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 3 of 4 · Occasionally Severely Damaged

Partly. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.

Type
Tree
Hardiness
Zones 6–9
Light
Part shade
Bloom
Spring
Maintenance
Low
Toxic to
dogs, cats, and horses

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Nellie Stevens Holly

A fast, dense, pyramidal hybrid holly, and one of the most widely planted evergreen screens in the south. It sets berries without a male nearby, unusually for a holly. Rated Occasionally Damaged, so young plants need protection until they are above browse height.

Protecting Nellie Stevens Holly

Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so decide on the options before it gets browsed rather than after.

  1. 1Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
  2. 2How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  3. 3Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  4. 4Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.

What to plant instead of Nellie Stevens Holly

Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, and rated better for deer. If Nellie Stevens Holly keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 6.5
Drainage
Well drained
Water
Moderate
Spacing
71 to 118 in apart
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Low

Where Nellie Stevens Holly grows

Hardy across 46 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Nellie Stevens Holly

Is Nellie Stevens Holly deer resistant?
Nellie Stevens Holly (Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens') is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged, step 3 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
What hardiness zones does Nellie Stevens Holly grow in?
Nellie Stevens Holly is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Nellie Stevens Holly grow in shade?
Yes. Nellie Stevens Holly tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
Is Nellie Stevens Holly toxic to dogs or cats?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Nellie Stevens Holly as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.

Browse from here

Every list Nellie Stevens Holly belongs to.

All trees·Sometimes destroyed·Part shade plants·Mast and fruit trees

Hardy in these zones

Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .