Plant Image Data Base                                         

   Ilex x meserveae

                                                        Blue Holly or Meserve Holly

• Form
  • medium-sized broadleaf evergreen shrub
  • maturing at approximately 8' tall by 8' wide, but highly variable depending upon particular hybrid (some are wider than tall, while others are taller than wide, but many are pruned or sheared into a hedge, pyramid, or globe shape anyway)
  • variable in growth habit from upright vase to open spreading to rounded, or can be sheared into pyramidal or rounded form
  • slow growth rate (medium growth rate in optimum situations)
• Culture
  • full sun to full shade (best in partial sun to partial shade)
  • broadleaf evergreens (such as Blue Holly) should preferably not be planted at south- or west-facing exposed sites, in order to avoid Winter foliage burn and Summer heat stress
  • prefers moist, well-drained soils and is pH adaptable (most Hollies prefer acidic soils)
  • Holly Family, with few disease or pest problems
  • plant one male plant for every three to five female plants to ensure good pollination and fruit set
• Foliage
  • evergreen, alternate, and elliptical with prominent spiny margins, to about 3" long
  • most Blue Hollies have new foliage that emerges as a bronzed light green, quickly maturing to a dark waxy blue-green and persisting for about three years on the stems ('China Boy' and 'China Girl', however, have Kelly green foliage and chartreuse stems)
• Fruits
  • subtle green berries mature to vibrant red (or yellow) berries on female shrubs in October, sometimes persistent until the following Spring (unless eaten by wildlife), but turning brown-black at some point in most Winters
  • showy due to their excellent contrast against the evergreen foliage
  • please note that a fruitless Meserve Holly in Winter can either be a male, or a female that was not pollinated, or a female that has possibly had all of its berries eaten or abscised; but, a plant with berries is always a female

• Function
  • foundation, group planting, under story, or specimen shrub; can also be a formal, informal, or barrier hedge
• Assets
  • bluish waxy evergreen foliage
  • showy berries on female plants persist throughout Autumn and most of the Winter
  • full sun to full shade adaptable
  • attracts wildlife (primarily birds, which seek refuge in its spiny-foliaged evergreen canopy and may consume the fruits during the dormant season)
• Purpose
  • Blue Holly is the most cold-hardy broadleaf evergreen shrub with both attractive Winter fruits and waxy foliage.
• Summary
  • Ilex x meserveae is one of the best broadleaf evergreen shrubs for ornamental Autumn and Winter fruits (on female plants, usually red), and spiny-margined glossy foliage (generally blue-green), with an upright to spreading medium- to large-sized shrub habit that can be sheared into various shapes, including pyramidal form.

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