James Swan Holly
Male Holly Pollenizer
Rooted Cutting Pricing - Shipping Included
| Qty | 1-4 | 5-9 | 10+ |
| Price per Plant | $22.50 | $15.00 | $12.50 |
118 in stock
Ilex x ‘James Swan’
The James Swan holly is a companion cultivar to the well-known Emily Bruner holly, and like its counterpart, it traces its origin to the grounds of Swan’s Bakery in Knoxville, Tennessee. Discovered in 1960 by horticulturalist Emily Bruner, the plant is believed to be the result of a natural hybridization between Burford Holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’) and Lusterleaf Holly (Ilex latifolia). Among six unique seedlings found beneath a mature Burford holly, the male specimen later named ‘James Swan’ stood out for its vigor, glossy foliage, and dense growth habit. Bruner nurtured the plants in her garden until a hailstorm led her to bring cuttings to the University of Tennessee, where she collaborated with horticulture student Don Shadow. Years later, Shadow introduced both ‘Emily Bruner’ and ‘James Swan’ to the nursery trade. The male cultivar was likely named in honor of James Harry Swan, longtime president of Swan’s Bakery, on whose property the seedlings were discovered. Today, the James Swan holly is valued not only for its historical connection but also for its performance as a reliable pollinizer. It thrives in full sun, adapts to a range of soils, and makes an attractive, low-maintenance addition to landscapes in need of evergreen structure. Planting instruction can be found at boydnursery.net/arrival-care-notes/.
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Diseases & Insects | Problem Free |
| Family | Aquifoliaceae |
| Flowers | Flowers are staminate in 3 to 9 flowered cymes; pistillate solitary; flowers are dull white with yellow pollen tipped anthers; flowers appear during mid to late Spring |
| Growth Rate | |
| Hardiness Range | zone 7a – 9b *need help finding your hardiness zone? |
| Leaves | Leaves are typically 3 to 5 inches in length with 10 to 15 spines on each side; glossy dark green in appearance |
| Plant Type | |
| Primary Features | |
| Sex | dioecious (Male) |
| Size | 20-30 feet tall at maturity with 15-20 foot spread |
| Sun Requirement |
What am I buying?
We sell James Swan Hollies as rooted cuttings. Taken from Wikipedia, “a plant cutting is a piece of a plant that is used in horticulture for vegetative (asexual) propagation. A piece of the stem or root of the source plant is placed in a suitable medium such as moist soil. If the conditions are suitable, the plant piece will begin to grow as a new plant independent of the parent, a process known as striking.” Put more simply, a rooted cutting is a small clone of the specimen from which it was taken. As a genetically identical clone, the cutting shares all the characteristic traits and attributes of the cultivated variety. Our rooted cuttings are 3-6 months old and 2-8 inches in stem length above the soil line. They are clipped from our private stock plants and grown in root pruning trays at our temperature controlled greenhouse.
When are plants collected?
Once your order is placed, your plants will be collected as soon as the weather permits. This time-frame is normally within 3-7 days. During heavy order periods (April-May), this collection time can grow to 10-14 days.
How are plants shipped?
All shipments are mailed via USPS Priority Mail using PirateShip.com. We monitor national weather conditions and temperatures for shipments. If at any time your order must be delayed for weather concerns, we will contact you by phone and/or email. The day that your order is completed or partially shipped, you will receive an email containing your package tracking number. You can also find this updated information by logging into your account on our website.
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