PlantFiles: Blue Holly, Meserve Holly, Meserve Hybrid Holly
Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Girl'

CAUTION!!!!
My Michael Dirr book says Ilex x meserve cultivars (the "Blues") are not suited for the heat of Zone 7B- zone 9. Dirr says that, in Athens, GA, China Girl and China Boy which are I, rugosa x I. cornuta did fine while the "blues" all died in the extreme heat of 1973.

I mention this because Lowes and HD happily sell the "Blues" in Zone 7B (Raleigh, NC). And also because the zone table in this listing above says they are tolerant to Zone 9B, BUT, this is for cold, not heat tolerance!

We have a couple of Blue Girl holly plants near our house foundation. It's very dry full shade there. They have grown very well for at least 8 years (came with the house). They have red berries in winter and tiny white flowers in spring. The leaves are very dark and shiny, and look great all year long.

I have had Blue Girl and Blue Boy varieties in the ground for 4 years here in zone 3b. They have survived unprotected but have grown little and remain about 12" tall. They are planted in morning to midday sun. After heavy snow cover last winter they look better than normal this spring and I am hopeful that I will see growth this year.

A new garden addition here in 2006. Hardiness Zones: 5 to 7 Height: 8-12 ft Spread: 8-12 ft Form: rounded Type: broad-leaved evergreen shrub Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches Fruits: Red, yellow. The Blue Hollies are so named because the dark green foliage has a blue overcast. The bark on young twigs is purplish. Many male and female cultivars are available and both must be grown in order to obtain fruit production on the females. Although the plants are fairly hardy, foliage can still be injured during severe winters in northern areas. There are several 'blue' (meserveae) cultivars including Blue Boy, Blue Prince, Blue Princess, Ebony Magic, China Boy, China Girl, Blue Maid, and Little Rascal. (REF: Michigan State University Extension) I bought both Blue Girl and Blue Boy, and I'm hoping Blue Boy will polinate the native holly (Ilex opaca) also growing nearby. Since both plants are new this year I want to wait a year before evaluating them.

This is a very nice small holly. Leaves stay blue green and have beautiful red berries in fall. I have 2 that are fertilized each summer by the Blue Stallion holly elsewhere in my yard. I have found that the holly bush that is in full sun here in zone 5 does extremely well next to a small tub garden that is near our back door. It has rounded nicely, is about 2'5" - 3' tall and very full looking. On the opposite side of the door I have another Blue Girl that was planted at the same time, same soil type (clay augmented with garden soil) but only receives partial sun due to the proximity of our picnic table. This holly is only perhaps 20" - 2' tall, and while still nicely rounded, is not as full as the other one. So I would advise planting these in full sun in the northern zones.

This is one of the few hollies that will survive our tough northern winters. Wonderful plant!