Several years ago, I fell in love with a new holly on a visit to Garden Treasures Nursery, and two years later, our specimen has lived up to my high expectations. Ilex vomitoria ‘Panhandle Gold’ is a selection of our native (Virginia to Texas) yaupon holly, discovered by Florida nurseryman, John Davy. We don’t know a mature size yet, but we’re guessing 12-15′ tall. The photos below show our plant (top), and an older plant (below), growing at Garden Treasures, that’s now 7′ tall. Garden Treasures has observed female flowers, but no fruit set as of yet. This is an exceptional selection of our native holy, that has a “bright” future in the nursery industry.
If that’s not crazy enough, check out Ilex cassine ‘Ocala’, a discovery by John Reuter and Richard Olsen in the wilds of Florida. This coastal native from Virginia to Texas is nowhere near as commercially viable as the Ilex vomitoria, but still worth seeking out if you like oddities.
I’ll keep my eyes open for this