Is Nellie Stevens Holly deer resistant?
Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
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.
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
Deer-resistant alternatives to Nellie Stevens Holly
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Nellie Stevens Holly keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Nellie Stevens Holly
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- Alternate-Leaved DogwoodCornus alternifoliaZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
- American PersimmonDiospyros virginianaZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
- AppleMalus sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Atlantic White CedarChamaecyparis thyoidesZones 3–9Occasionally damaged
- Atlas CedarCedrus atlanticaZones 6–9Occasionally damaged
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichumZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
Protecting Nellie Stevens Holly
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Check 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.
Where Nellie Stevens Holly grows
Hardy across most of these 46 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Nellie Stevens Holly belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
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 on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. 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.