Ilex 'Whoa Nellie'

When I visited Mike Dirr's UGA trial gardens in 2001, I was struck by a golden sport of Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens'. Mike shared cuttings and later allowed us to name the plant Ilex 'Whoa Nellie' after the well-known football line of famed sportscaster, Keith Jackson. Ilex 'Whoa Nellie' makes a 12' tall x 8' wide evergreen specimen in 10 years with new growth that is bright gold, contrasted with old inner foliage which retains the dark green color. When grown near a male pollinator, Ilex 'Whoa Nellie' will produce a superb crop of bright red berries in fall and winter. We think this is a truly superb specimen plant for the garden that can also be used for a colorful evergreen hedge.