Generally — Most Areas
holly (zones 5-11) suits most of Hawaii (8b-13a) — zones 8-11 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Holly in Hawaii — the short answer
Holly in Hawaii: hardy in zones 5–11, shade, against a state median of ~365 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 5-11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Hawaii zones
- 8b-13a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Killing freeze
- None on record
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020
- Shortest county season
- 365 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Hawaii spans zones 8b-13a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score holly against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Holly Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-11
- Sun: Shade
- Mature size: 30 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Hawaii Has
- USDA Zones: 8b-13a
- Hard Freeze (28°F): None on record — year-round season
- Annual Rainfall: 10-400 inches
- Common Soils: Volcanic, Laterite, Coral sand
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-11)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Holly in Hawaii
The frost window
Hawaii has none — the 1991-2020 station record carries no 28°F killing freeze, so there is no last-frost date to plant after and no first-frost date to harvest before (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record). The growing season is year-round; what paces planting here is rainfall, heat and elevation, not the calendar.
Establishment timing
As a long-lived plant, holly can go in any month here. Aim for the start of your wetter season so it establishes on rainfall rather than on irrigation, and give it a year in the ground before judging it.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Holly likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.5-7). That's the common-ground band across Hawaii's volcanic and laterite — a soil test confirms it for your site. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Hawaii site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Hawaii soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Holly in Hawaii
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Hawaii growers also need to think about:
Extreme rainfall variation — desert on one side, rainforest on the other
Volcanic soil is nutrient-poor in young flows
Invasive species pressure is severe
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Hawaii grower, not just holly — is covered on the Hawaii growing guide.
Where in Hawaii Holly Is Zone-Hardy
Holly is rated for USDA zones 5–11. No single Hawaii county falls inside it: 0 are colder than the plant’s zone 5 floor and 0 are milder than its zone 11 ceiling. A band this narrow straddles the state rather than sitting inside it.
Across those 5 counties Hawaii’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 10a-11b in Hawaii County to zone 10a-11b in Maui County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band holly needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Holly’s zone 5–11 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Holly draws honeybees and native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Holly's flowers are not fenced in by a freeze date here: the 1991-2020 record resolves no 28°F killing frost anywhere in Hawaii, so what limits bloom is the plant's own cycle rather than the calendar.
Hawaii Cooperative Extension
For Hawaii-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for holly, the canonical source is UH Mānoa CTAHR Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Holly native to Hawaii?
Holly is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Hawaii. It can still earn a place in a Hawaii garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Hawaii growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Holly in Hawaii
When can I plant Holly in Hawaii?
Any month — Hawaii records no 28°F killing freeze in the 1991-2020 station record, so there is no last-frost date to wait for and the growing season is year-round (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record). Pace planting by rainfall, heat and elevation instead: the summit country does freeze, and no station up there carries a long enough record to date it.
What hardiness zone is Holly grown in across Hawaii?
Hawaii spans USDA hardiness zones 8b-13a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Holly carries a range of zones 5-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Hawaii site have?
A typical Hawaii site sees ~365 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). Holly should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Holly native to Hawaii?
Holly is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Hawaii. It can still earn a place in a Hawaii garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Holly in Hawaii?
Holly prefers pH 4.5-7 and well (dry spells) drainage (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Hawaii soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Holly actually grow on my specific land in Hawaii?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores holly against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Hawaii
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores holly against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Hawaii holly averages can't show:
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