Is Blue Boy Holly a Good Winter Plant?

Features

• Since cultivar Blue Boy does not produce any berries and it flowers during late spring, the primary feature it brings to the winter garden is its foliage. The oval leaves with sparse, thin spines are dark glossy green, sometimes described as having a bluish undertone. On the youngest twigs, the stem color is purplish, adding subtle color interest in winter, too.

Use as a Winter Plant

• The dark evergreen leaves block wind and undesirable views as a screen or hedge. Cuttings embellish holiday wreaths or garlands. Outside of winter, the Blue Boy holly serves its most important role of providing pollen. Without it, female meserve hollies such as Blue Girl or Blue Princess cannot yield attractive, glossy red berries. Thus, even if you find the Blue Boy holly in winter rather mundane, it's a necessary evil if you want female shrubs nearby to bear fruit.

Growing Insight

• The Blue Boy holly needs any acidic to neutral soil -- pH 7 or lower -- that is moist but well-drained. Growth is uniform in full sun to partially shaded locations in the garden. Although it matures up to 10 feet tall, it handles pruning well and can be maintained much smaller around 5 feet tall. To avoid premature leaf drop, plant this evergreen holly where drying winds don't bombard it, especially in cold months.

Alternatives

• If you seek more dynamic winter interest other than dark green foliage, opt for other holly species renowned for copious berry production, such as winterberry (Ilex verticillata) or possumhaw (Ilex decidua). Any holly you plant, however, needs both male and female types for fruits to form. Other alternatives for winter interest must be based on your climate and growing conditions. Ornamental grasses, winter-blooming plants like Japanese camellia or fragrant tea olive are possibilities. Deciduous shrubs, such as redtwig dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) or pussy willow (Salix spp.), display colorful or textural bark for winter interest. Consider a fine-textured evergreen with colorful foliage, such as a golden falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea').