If you want Holly berries and need a big, dense broad-leaved evergreen for privacy, try the glorious Screen Play Holly (Ilex integra x latifolia ‘Screen Play’). With white blooms for beneficial pollinators and dense cover for birds, this magnificent, large-scale shrub readily pollinates with ambient local Holly for showy, deep red berries all winter (much to the delight of local songbirds.)!
Screen Play is a new Holly hybrid variety with a well-branched, dense, and upright habit. Elliptic to oblong leaves are gorgeous and glossy. The new foliage is light green tinged with bronze and ages to dark green with enough sun. You will find it is worth giving up the traditional, prickle-edged English Holly leaf shape for very finely serrated leaves with less of a “poke”. This fantastic broad-leaved evergreen creates a bright, fluffy texture in the sunny landscape!
Developed and field-tested by the Southern Living Plant Collection, Screen Play Holly takes tough heat conditions without forgetting their lines while on stage. With a well-branched, dense, upright habit, you’ll create a year-round showstopper in your space! Growing an impressive 25 – 30 feet in height and spreading to a narrow 8 to 10 feet in width, this shrub thrives throughout USDA growing zones 7 to 9.
Planting and Application:
With a name like Screen Play, you know this shrub is perfect for screening! The vigorous growth creates a private bower, and it’s tall enough to reach a second-story balcony! Use Screen Play Holly for year-round greenery and living fencing around your property line to create outdoor rooms. Even a staggered double row saves you money over traditional fencing!
Crave an al fresco dining room or private seating area? Let this hard-working plant grow into the walls of a garden room for dining under the stars! Glossy, yet spineless leaves are another big benefit, especially if you’ll be shearing them into formal garden hedges. Keep pruned small or large, and limb up the lower branches to create a multi-trunked tree form!
- Bronzy New Growth & Ages Dark Green
- Elliptic to Oblong Foliage
- Very Tall, Fluffy & Spineless Broad-Leaved Evergreen
- Vigorous Growth & Dense Upright Habit
- Made for Screening & Privacy, Tall Specimens & Living Walls/Fencing
Tips for Care:
Plant Screen Play Holly in full or partial shade with at least four hours of direct sunlight a day, and provide full sun for the best coloration. Please wait to prune until after the tiny, white spring flowers are finished blooming. They will turn into the gorgeous berries you love for Holiday decorations! Provide 3-4 inches of arborist mulch to help insulate the root system and hold in moisture better.
- Full Sun & Partial Shade
- Widely Adaptable & Moderate Moisture Needs
- Any Very Well-Drained Soil Type
- Prune After Flowering
- Low Maintenance & Great for Urban Settings
Add privacy and seclusion to your outdoor world by wrapping your landscape in the soft year-round greenery that a Screen Play Holly provides!
