Ilex

Botanical/Latin
   Ilex

Pronunciation
   I-leks

Common Name
   Holly, Winterberry, Inkberry

Hardiness zone range
   3-6

General Comments
Magnificent evergreen and deciduous shrubs and trees that are typified by thick, leathery textured foliage, and small, white flowers that are followed by colorful berries during the late autumn and winter months.

Light Preference
Full Sun-Partial Shade

Culture & Care
They thrive best in well-drained, reasonably fertile soils that are rich in organic matter and able to retain moisture in dry weather. Most grow well in either sun or partial shade, but berry production is usually much better when they are given a sunny position. To get them off to a good start, they should be planted in a generous sized hole, incorporating extra organic matter (peat, planting compost, leaf mold, composted pine bark, etc.). Mulching and watering until they are established ensure a quick and easy transition to the new site. Once established, they benefit from a light dressing of a well-balanced fertilizer. This can either be applied as a liquid feed or applied in granular form (sprinkled onto the upper soil layer). The best time to do this is in early spring before growth begins, making sure not to over feed. They do not require much maintenance, except to occasionally reshape the bushes, making sure to retain a dominant single leader in taller, upright growing selections. They respond well to pruning and clipping and can be sheared several times during the growing season. The best time to do general shaping is during the late winter or early spring, leaving plenty to time for the young growth to mature and the flowers to set with fruit. For maximum berry production, hollies need to have a male of a similar type flower simultaneously with the females. It is important to use named cultivars that are properly identified or survey the neighborhood properties because bees will usually carry sufficient pollen to pollinate within a half-mile radius. To ensure plenty of berries, it is a good idea to plant at least one male (of the same type) in close proximity; this is particularly important with the deciduous types that are grown primarily for their berry production. The hybrid male cultivar Ilex 'Apollo' is a consistent producer of pollen for the spectacular female cultivars Ilex 'Sparkleberry' and 'Red Sprite'. The evergreens have a similar requirement with a male cultivar like Ilex 'Blue Prince' providing pollen for the females like Ilex 'Blue Princess'.

Uses
They are superb plants for providing an easy to care for, year round, evergreen presence in beds and borders, providing height and definition to the landscape, and forming a perfect background for other plants. The taller, faster growing forms make excellent screens and are often used to screen unsightly views, provide privacy, reduce noise, and prevent invasion by unwanted visitors. They make dense, conical shaped specimens (which can be enhanced by shearing), and can be used to add height and form a skeleton to the design, and be positioned to make imposing accent and specimen plants to divert the eye or draw it off to a distant point. In formal style settings, they can be used as hedging or clipped into definitive sculptural features to impose a pleasing architectural quality to the design. The dwarf, small leaved types, e.g. Ilex crenata 'Compacta', 'Helleri', and 'Green Lustre' (Japanese hollies), are naturally rounded and spreading forms, so they are widely used as foundation planting or for creating mounds of foliage color that really stand out in the landscape, especially in winter. Once established, they are remarkably drought tolerant, so on large sites they are frequently placed in mass plantings. They make good ground cover and can be used on sloping banks, in mixed plantings, in rock gardens, or as low hedges and even as bonsai. They are wonderfully well adapted to shearing, and many of the taller ones such as Ilex 'Beehive' and 'Steeds' are used as low hedging or as dense, functional greenery to direct and defend areas from pedestrians and pets, or as impressive compact specimens in landscape settings. They have the advantage of no prickles, making them useful where these are not required. The American native species like Ilex glabra 'Compacta' and 'Shamrock' (Inkberries) are also free of spines and are used like those mentioned above. Together with the deciduous Winterberries, e.g. Ilex 'Red Sprite' and the hardy and reliable Ilex opaca, they are good for wildflower areas and naturalistic plantings. The foliage is a marvelous, long lasting filler in flower arrangements, and, of course, berried boughs are a major component in seasonal wreaths, swags, and other Christmas decorations. Finally, they provide a welcome source of food, nesting places, and sheltering spots for small birds. Deer find the foliage unpalatable, so they are useful in districts where deer browsing is a concern.

Background
Hollies occur in most parts of the world except Australia, New Zealand, and western North America. There are over 400 species, including several tender species that are not hardy in our northern temperature gardens. The botanical name is linked to the evergreen oaks (Quercus ilex) that inhabit Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region and was probably used because the commonly occurring species in Europe is the evergreen Ilex aquifolium. This is the same species that was used by Druids and Pagan people to decorate their huts and living areas for the spirits of the forest. They chose it because it stayed green in winter. The Romans sent berried boughs and other gifts to friends during the festival of Saturnalia; this custom was adopted by early Christians, and the practice of decorating homes at Christmas spread with Christianity. The common name holly came from Holy tree or Christ's tree, which is connected with the suffering of Jesus, symbolized by the sharp pointed leaves and blood red berries. There are many good forms in cultivation that are very useful garden plants. In addition to those mentioned previously, we have found the following to be outstanding selections with considerable garden merit. Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princess' and 'Blue Prince': These so called "Blue Hollies" are marvelous examples of the benefits that can be achieved when two distinct species are combined to create superior hybrids. Mrs. Kathleen Meserve, an amateur breeder in Long Island, New York, created and introduced the first of these superb hybrids over thirty years ago. She wanted hollies that had the rich, glossy, dark green leaves and big, bright bunches of red berries of the English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) and were as hardy and dependable as the Native American Holly (Ilex opaca). She crossed the English Holly with a rarely grown, but very hardy, Japanese species, Ilex rugosa, and the result was a range of hybrids with gorgeous, dark blue-green, glossy foliage and good berry set. The same parentage has produced several fine hybrids, but our favorites are these two aristocratic "blue bloods". We love the exceptionally heavy berry set of large, bright red berries and compact, broadly pyramidal form that is typical of 'Blue Princess' and the excellent pollinating ability of 'Blue Prince', a consistent and reliable supplier of pollen for 'Blue Princess' and many other Ilex cultivars. Both are recipients of the prestigious Cary award. Ilex opaca 'Wyetta': This popular selection of the Native American Holly is hard to beat. It is hardy to Zone 5, slowly develops into a pyramidal tree (30-40 feet) with dark, olive-green foliage, grows abundant crops of bright red berries that help to sustain small birds through the bleak mid-winter, is more tolerant than most of shade, and is great for use as specimen and tall hedges. It is best located out of cold, searing, winter winds, but otherwise is not fussy about its needs. Ilex 'Sky Pencil': This appropriately named selection of the evergreen Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) makes marvelous, slender, cylindrical sentinels that are invaluable in formal layouts, urban, and other small sites where space is at a premium. The strong vertical shape is ideal for creating focal points and can be used collectively to form narrow hedges or small screens. It grows to about 8-10 feet tall and only 2-3 feet wide and can be sheared to make it even more narrow and unique. It was discovered on Mount Daisen, Honshu, Japan and donated to Sylvester March and Rick Darke when they visited Japan during a collecting trip for the U.S. National Arboretum in 1985. After bulking up and evaluation, it was introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum Elite Plant Program in 1992. Ilex 'Dr. Kassab': This is an excellent hybrid between two Asian species (Ilex cornuta x Ilex pernyi) that ultimately forms narrowly conical trees (about 15-20 feet) with very dark green, prickly leaves and plenty of bright red berries that usually last well into spring. It is great for making screens, impenetrable hedges, or as specimens in corners, beds, and borders, and softening walls and fences. It is particularly valuable in smaller sites where space is restricted because it sets berries without needing other pollinators. Ilex pedunculosa (female form): An upright growing species that is, surprisingly, not very well known or planted. It has dark green, glossy, evergreen foliage that does not have prickles and looks a bit like the leaves of Mountain Laurel (Kalmia) or Pears (Pyrus), and bright red berries that are borne on stalks and hang like cherries. The ultimate size is about 15-20 feet. They make wonderfully elegant specimens and cope better than most of the others with exposure and cold. They are ideal for tall hedges and screens or handsome specimens in all sorts of important locations.

Splendor Suggestions
The foliage and berried boughs are wonderful for creating Christmas decorations, wreaths, and swags. Leave the pruning or shaping of the plants until the Christmas season when the berried branches and shiny evergreen foliage can be used and the plants shaped up at the same time.

Companion Plants
The dark green, pyramidal, conical, and narrow sentinel shapes look superb when placed in drifts of early flowering heaths and heathers like Erica 'Mediterranean White' or 'Mediterranean Pink' or the golden, amber, and silver foliaged Callunas. On a larger scale, the taller growing forms look great standing in ground covering conifers like Juniperus 'Blue Chip', the bronze-green of Microbiota decussata, or the spreading Taxus 'Repandens'. The rounded shapes, soft texture, and colored foliage of Thuja 'Little Giant' and brightly colored Thuja 'Rheingold' and 'Sunkist' will surely brighten up the year round scene and contrast with the dark green evergreens. They make fabulous backgrounds for early flowering deciduous shrubs; the golden yellow Forsythias and Kerria, and the refreshing white and pink flowering Deutzias and Spiraeas really stand out against the dark green backgrounds. They work well with evergreen shrubs, too. Just make sure to provide enough space. Evergreens like Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Leucothoe, and Pieris are excellent examples of ones that add lots of spring color and enjoy the shelter and protection provided by these stately evergreens. Summer and autumn flowering perennials will take the color sequence into their later season, while autumn coloring shrubs like Enkianthus, Fothergilla, Euonymus 'Fireball', and Japanese Maples will set the scene for the joyous season of Christmas and the new year.