English Holly

English Holly originates from the British Isles and from Southern and Central Europe.

English Holly is adaptable to a wide range of soil, moisture, temperature and light conditions. It is often found in mixed deciduous forests, wetlands and near residential areas. It can survive in both sunny and shady conditions and grows best in sandy or well-drained soils.

English Holly reproduces by seed as well as vegetatively. One shrub can produce 120,000 seeds annually. It can resprout from cut stumps, suckering (sending up shoots from the roots) and layering (growing the roots from where stems touch the ground).

Long-distance dispersal can occur through birds that eat the English Holly berries. Short-distance spread occurs by vegetative reproduction. English Holly is also spread by nursery sales, as it is a popular holiday decoration.

English Holly is abundant in certain portions of the Sea to Sky region (i.e., in Squamish and south), but has not yet infested all potential habitats. The goal is to contain the spread of English Holly to ISMA 1.

Learn to identify English Holly: Use the images presented in this profile page to learn how to identify English Holly.

What to do if you spot it: You can report any English Holly sighting by clicking here.

DO:

• Regularly monitor properties for weed infestations.
• Ensure soil and gravel are free of English Holly before transporting.
• Ensure plants (particularly flowering heads, berries or root fragments) are bagged or covered to prevent spread during transport to designated disposal sites (e.g. landfill).

DO NOT:

• Purchase English Holly from nurseries for garden use.
• Plant English Holly.
• Unload, park, or store equipment or vehicles in infested areas; remove plant material from any equipment, vehicles, or clothing used in such areas and wash equipment and vehicles at designated cleaning sites before leaving infested areas.

Control

Mechanical Control

• Hand-pull small plants when the soil is moist. Larger plants may be pulled or dug out using mechanical tools, or excavated.
• Ensure the entirety of the root system is removed whenever possible, but be prepared to treat the site repeatedly.
• For larger plants, it may be helpful to cut down the above-ground vegetation before digging the roots out.
• Remove the roots and stems from the site and dispose of them to prevent the cut holly from suckering and re-rooting.
• Wear eye protection, long pants, long sleeves, sturdy footwear, and work gloves when working around English Holly to avoid scratches or injury from the prickly leaves.
• It is best to remove Holly before the berries mature; otherwise, make sure you plan for berry removal.

Chemical Control

• The application of herbicides such as glyphosate, imazapyr or triclopyr to cut stumps is an effective chemical control method. Glyphosate can also be applied using stem injection or foliar application.
• Where permitted, glyphosate can also be applied using stem injection or foliar application.
• However, English Holly’s preference for riparian habitats makes using chemical control extremely difficult.

We recommend that any herbicide application is carried out by a person holding a valid BC Pesticide Applicator Certificate. Before selecting and applying herbicides, you must review and follow herbicide labels and application rates; municipal, regional, provincial and federal laws and regulations; species-specific treatment recommendations, and site-specific goals and objectives.

Biological Control

There is no biocontrol agent available at this time.