Shrub · North Texas care guide
Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'
Nursery Pro tip: The native answer to boxwood. Shear it or let it mound naturally.
The compact, mounding form of our native yaupon — 3–4 ft tall and wide, fine-textured, evergreen, and about as low-maintenance as a shrub gets. No thorns, no berries (they're male), and it thrives in sun or shade. The modern replacement for boxwood in hot exposures.
Full sun to full shade, any soil, wet or dry. Foundation beds, low hedges, mass plantings, under windows. Space 3 ft apart for a hedge, 4 ft to keep individuals.
Any season; fall is ideal. Hole twice the width of the pot, ball at grade, native soil, Root Stimulator, 2–3 inches of mulch.
Twice a week the first month, weekly the first summer, then only in serious drought.
A spring feeding with a general shrub fertilizer if you want faster fill-in; otherwise skip it.
Rarely needs it — it stays a mound on its own. Shear lightly in late spring or summer if you want it tighter or more formal. Takes hard rejuvenation in late winter if it ever gets leggy.
Scale occasionally; leaf miners cosmetic. Root rot only in constantly soggy beds. Otherwise nothing.
The base layer of a native foundation planting: with Texas sage, dwarf crape myrtle, autumn sage and Gulf muhly in sun; with holly fern, liriope and Turk's cap in shade.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.