Blue Prince Holly

The fantastic bushy Blue Prince Holly (Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Prince') is a gorgeous, glossy broadleaf evergreen shrub with a host of wonderfully ornamental features! Your Blue Prince Holly features lustrous leaves with a bluish tint - thus contributing to the name. Your lighter-colored plants will really pop out of the landscape when framed by Blue Prince's shiny, bright green foliage!

The toothy edges lend an elegant appearance to the foliage supported by dark, purple-hued stems. If you look closely you'll note delicate, white flowers scattered among the purple-tinged stems in spring, an added bonus to this plant's commendable attributes! You may not outright see these little blooms, but the hungry bees and butterflies will seek them out in droves!

A suitable pollinator for other Blue Holly like the Blue Princess Holly, you need about one Blue Prince to pollinate up to 3-5 female shrubs! Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 5 to 9, these grow into a shrubby, rounded 6-8 feet in height and a space-saving 3-4 feet in width for an impressive year-round display, but can easily be pruned to your specifications!

Planting and Application:

Create privacy hedges of Blue Hollies for vivid swaths of blue-greenery that add screening and bird-friendly shelter. If you have female shrubs planted in your hedge, you’ll enjoy red berries in the fall on the female shrubs! The evergreen boughs can be used in winter décor and floral arrangements.

Spring's fresh bright green new growth contrasts nicely with last year's darker foliage and both are accented by the purple-tinged stems for a lovely color combination! Everything you plant before these hedges become enhanced - so use these Holly bushes as backdrops and foundation plantings, either trimmed formally or allowed to grow informally.

These broadleaved evergreens have elegant glossy green foliage year-round providing wind-blocking, drifting-snow stopping, and prying-eyes-blocking foliage all year long!

• Decorative Foliage & Pointed Margins
• Evergreen Blue-Green Foliage
• Darling White Blossoms
• Contrasting Purplish Stems
• Hedges & Backdrops, Privacy & Year-Round Interest

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Plant Blue Prince in a well-drained soil location in full sun or partial shade. Water new plants regularly but mature and established plants only need a bit of supplemental moisture during drought. Holly are relatively easy to grow, with no significant disease or pest issues. All plants appreciate regular fertilizer and a 3-4 inch layer of arborist mulch over the soil surface.

In areas of high pH, alkaline soil - fertilize with Dr. Earth Acid Lovers Organic and Natural All Purpose Fertilizer in early spring and mid-summer to help reduce soil pH. You can choose to prune them, or site them at the corner of your house and allow them to reach their full mature height and spread. The goal is to keep the shrub growing in a nice, open shape. Adding air circulation and light to the interior of your shrub will allow leaves to grow all the way along each branch. Light pruning during the winter to harvest holiday decor can be used to control size. When pruning, it's best not to simply shear the tips off with hedge pruners. Instead, conduct Renewal Pruning every few years to eliminate the oldest less vigorous stems and encourage new healthy growth from the base allowing the plants to keep their natural form.

• Sun to Partial Shade Loving
• Well-Drained Soil of Any Kind
• Moderate Water Needs
• Prune Late Winter/Early Spring
• Pollinator for Female Blue Holly

Hollies add cheer to every winter landscape with their lustrous foliage! Planted together, they certainly are plants with year-round interest. Blooms in the spring, and structure in winter...Blue Prince Holly Bushes are a wonderful plant for any season! Order now at NatureHills.com!