Different Kinds of Holly Shrubs

Inkberry Shrubs

• Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is an evergreen holly shrub native from Nova Scotia, Canada, to the Deep South, growing to between 4 and 8 feet. The female plants generate dark black berries by September. Cultivars such as Alba, Ivory Queen and Leucocarpa produce white fruit. Compacta is an inkberry cultivar with a round form. Chamzin has darker foliage than the parent species possesses; this is a cold-hardy holly shrub, able to tolerate temperatures as low as minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the University of Connecticut Plant Database.

Winterberry Shrubs

• Grow winterberry (Ilex verticillata) in bird gardens to take advantage of the abundant red fruit the shrub produces. Cultivars of winterberry -- a deciduous shrub -- including Maryland Beauty, Sparkleberry, Jim Dandy, Capacon and Jim Dandy, grow from USDA zones 3 through 9. Winter Gold features orange-yellow fruit and it has foliage that changes from dark shades of green to bronze-yellow in autumn, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Harvest Red cultivar grows to 10 feet, with the female plants yield deep-red berries.

American Holly Shrubs

• The American holly tree (Ilex opaca) grows to 50 feet, but the cultivars in shrub form are considerably smaller. Clarendon, growing to 4 feet high, is a variety with 2- to 4-inch-long leaves featuring spiny teeth, just as the tree form does. Clarendon has small flowers in May that turn out red-orange berries. Rock gardens are appropriate scenarios for the dwarf holly shrub William Hawkins. It grows to 12 inches in a vase shape, and the female plants, if pollinated, produce small berries. William Hawkins matures between 6 and 15 feet tall, with very narrow and spiny foliage.

Other Holly Shrubs

• Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) grows tall enough to form windbreaks. The Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) cultivr Golden Gem grows to 24 inches and works along foundations to provide evergreen color. Wet conditions support the yaupon holly (Ilex decidua.) It grows to 15 feet and this upright holly shrub attracts wildlife with its edible berries in autumn. Opossums will eat the berries, leading to the shrub's nickname of possumhaw.