Tiny and Tough, Micron® Holly Really Measures Up

Have you heard the old mouse’s tale: “if prickly hollies are brought into the house, the husband is in command, but if smooth-leafed hollies are used to decorate, the wife rules the home”? I'll have to try it. Holly leaves and bark were used for various ailments by native Americans. Some wore sprigs of holly during child birth to ease pain and assure delivery of a healthy baby. Several southeastern tribes brewed a purgative, emetic drink from the leaves of native yaupon holly (memorialized by it species name, Ilex vomitoria) in the spring, which allegedly restored lost appetites, preserved good health and bestowed courage in battle.

Micron® Dwarf Yaupon Holly is super-adaptable to all types of growing conditions. A choice dwarf selection of native holly by Garden Debut®, Micron® is extremely durable and flourishes in a tremendously wide range of conditions, from sun to shade and from wet to dry soils! Much more compact than the typical evergreen dwarf yaupon, Micron® Holly has a characteristic mounding or pillowing habit that makes this shrub distinctive in the landscape. Slow growing so it never needs pruning, Micron® reaches a mature height of only 20 – 30 inches and a wider spread of three feet. Resilient plants are profusely branched and low mounds of rich green foliage add a distinctive rich color to the garden in winter (Zones 7 and warmer).

Micron® Holly is an exceptionally versatile garden performer because it is not particular to the type of soil provided, and while it is tolerant of wet soils it is also more drought resistant than other hollies. Wild yaupon grows along the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains of the southeastern United States with a range extending from the northern coast of Virginia south to central Florida and west to southern Oklahoma and eastern Texas. This makes Micron® Holly an ideal landscape plant in warmer U. S. gardens for a multitude of uses, including small hedges, garden borders, edging, foundation plantings and massed on slopes to control erosion and to simply look good. Prized for its slow rate of growth and resulting dense wood, pruning or shearing is never necessary with Micron® Holly. Additionally, Micron® is deer resistant and yields a slight fragrance when the tiny flowers bloom in late spring. If you live in the Southeast, look for Micron® at independent garden centers near you.