Blue Holly Ilex meserveae 'Gentle' including square rattan basket - Hardy plant

Ensure a well-drenched Blue Holly (Ilex x meserveae) prior to planting – soak it for a while in a bucket of lukewarm water. Plant your blue holly somewhere that it will have sufficient space to grow. Prepare a large hole and loosen the soil thoroughly with a fork. Plant your blue holly at the correct depth – the top of the root ball should come to just below soil level. Fill up with more soil and heel well in. Water immediately after planting. Blue Holly (Ilex x meserveae) will thrive in any soil but you could improve poor soil with the addition of well-rotted manure and granulated cow manure. Choose a spot in full sun for your holly.
Blue Holly (Ilex x meserveae) will make a terrific hedge too. To achieve this. use 3 plants for every metre length of hedge.

Blue holly (Ilex x meserveae) is very undemanding and will grow basically anywhere in any type of soil. Best spot is a sunny one. Do give young trees and hedging protection from wind. Once established, this lovely shrub is completely hardy. Pruning Blue Holly (Ilex × meserveae) is easily pruned. Best time to do this is March/April. Do use proper secateurs and not just hedge trimmers unless you want to see half leaves on your hedge for years to come because holly leaves stay on the tree for about 5 years, even if only half is left. Solitary Blue Holly shrubs and trees only require pruning when it’s really necessary. It is well-known that unpruned holly produces more berries.
Blue Holly (Ilex × meserveae) will naturally form a pyramid shape but may also be pruned to allow it to grow into a tree. To do this, your best trick is to allow the most upright branch to keep growing and cut back all the others. An annual prune to remove new shoots from soil level and the lower part of the trunk helps. Support that main branch for the first few years and then treat this blue holly as you would a tree.

The genus Ilex falls under its own category, Aquifoliacea. Blue Holly (Ilex x meserveae is a hybrid created from the Ilex opaca and Ilex rugosa. A new type of Holly, Blue Holly (Ilex x meserveae) is an evergreen shrub with glossy, leathery, green foliage with a lovely blue glow to it. There are various cultivars available that are even bluer than this one. This variety is not self-pollinating! You need a male example in the vicinity in order to get berries. This is not usually problematic at all.
When other plants and trees are closing down for the winter, holly produces its lovey red berries! A colourful asset to any winter garden. Birds really enjoy holly berries too but beware – holly berries are toxic to humans and pets so do prevent children and pets from consuming them!
Holly blossom is a great favourite with butterflies and bees so a holly bush or tree should always be in the garden if you want to attract these.