Features and care
Quercus ilex, known as the holm oak, is a slow-growing Mediterranean evergreen tree with a dense crown. Its year-round shade and long-lived structure make it suitable as a standalone specimen, in tree groups and in dry landscape compositions where continuous foliage is valued.
The leaves are leathery, dark green on top and greyish underneath. The margin can be spinier on young shoots and smoother on mature leaves. Small yellowish-green catkins appear in spring; acorns, partly covered by a scaly cup, are its characteristic fruit.
It can be grown in sun or part shade and reaches 10 to 20 m. It requires dry to cool, well-drained soil, with low supplemental watering during establishment and drought, letting the soil dry out partially. Its tolerance to persistent humid air is low. Its USDA 7–10 hardiness reflects its adaptation to winters with moderate frosts and to markedly dry summers.
At Ornacom we cultivate each specimen directly, guaranteeing a balanced size and abundant flowering from the first years of planting.
8/10 L
