Hi Lujean congratulations on buying your first holly tree. If you want it to grown properly you will need to plant in the ground.

They can get large. I remember seeing them alongside the road on Whidbey Island. Any tree or large bush does best in the ground. But it can stay in the pot until the ground thaws (I also remember the snow). If you put it next to a fence, there's less to trim.

Yes don't try to plant in ground if frozen. I wouldn't plant next to a fence as you wont get the full effect of the tree as it grows but really it is what suits your space.

Hi Lujean i planted out My Pot Kept Holly about 6wks ago & iv put it in the cetre of a Large Border so i can see its Gorgeous Shape when fully Grown :)

They respond well to pruning too.....

Oh thank you all I cant wait to put her in a pot I will do that this week in my grudge until spring comes she is just so beautiful Thanks for your help.It so fun.

Why will you grow it in a pot Lujean ?

('scuse my ignorance, what are grudges ?)

is it male or female Lujean, mine is male with no berries and my neighbours is female and --- until the cold spell ---was covered! the birds love them and now near to my male I found a young one! aaahhh!

You shouldn't have to keep it in the "grudge". (garage). It needs a lot of light, and to be on the safe side, I would harden it off: put it outside in a sheltered place during the day and bring it into the garage during the night. They will do just fine, once established, outside. You shouldn't have to transplant it before spring because it won't grow much before you have the chance to put it in a permanent place.

WE are so lucky we have a male and female holly not 2 metres apart... the female 'did' have berries until the cold weather set in... all gone now as are the Sorbus cashmeriana and the Cotoneaster horizontalis. I actual sat in the office and watched a couple of blackbirds strip the sorbus; they then proceeded to dig through the snow at the base of the tree to find any edible berries that were on the ground!