Yaupon is borderline in upper zone 7. Some cold years it can freeze back. I do not believe it is native to Long Island, but I could be wrong. Goodness, for zone 7 there are SO very many hollies that are better looking than American Holly. Fosters #2 is nice, fast, good berries. Smaller leafed. Nellie Stevens is the default holly planted here. Takes shearing very well, but does get TALL. Look into 'Mary Nell'. Incredible leaf gloss and BERRIES, oh so many berries most years. 'Blue Maid' is a nice very hardy blue holly which grows slowly to 12 feet. It takes its time and will not need much pruning. Castle Wall is a very upright grower. (another Blue Holly). Chindo Viburnum might be worth looking into, if it's hardy in your area. Fast grower, very glossy, no spines. This post was edited by dave_in_nova on Mon, Sep 16, 13 at 9:43

It sure is it is growing in the Zone 6 part of SW MI in Benton Harbor. Not far from the lake. This is on the edge of one of the pockets where hollies, rhodo's and azaleas seem to thrive. Certain areas you see pretty nice specimens. Not sure what dictates this but it is evident as you drive around the area. You must be familiar with our area/growing conditions. Happy Gardening

American Holly can actually grow in a lot colder zones than people realize. I have several small ones I am growing here in Iowa zone 5 with no problem. On really cold winters it gets down to -30 to -35. Of course those are the extremes, the average hits -15 to -20. I originally moved here from PA and they were very common out there. One of the most beautiful trees in the winter. Ilex Opaca is very hard to find in the nursery trade. You can check out Forrest Farm or Holly Ridge Nursery. There is a Nursery in Butler, PA called Orlando Pride Nursery where they bred several cultivars to take heavy snow loads and put up with the extreme cold.

...I figure if the male doesn't have berries it should have some quality to earn it's keep...