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Differences in the Shape of Blue Hollies

The blue hollies (Ilex x meserveae or Ilex x meserveae crosses) are named for the slight blue tone on the stems and leaves. Blue hollies are crosses between hardy hollies and hollies with beautiful foliage, bred so that people in colder areas can grow some of the more attractive varieties. These hollies are evergreen shrubs or small trees, and their leaves are glossy. Hollies are generally dioecious, meaning male and female flowers are on separate plants, although there are a few exceptions. For berries, a male and female holly must be present. Blue hollies are hardy in U.S Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8.

  1. Pyramidal Hollies

    • One common shape found in hollies is an upright or broadly pyramidal shape with a definite central point. "Blue Girl" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Girl") and "Blue Princess" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Princess") are female varieties with red berries and grow in a broadly pyramidal habit. "Blue Girl" grows to about 8 feet tall, while "Blue Princess" gets to about 15 feet tall. "Blue Prince" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Prince") is a male variety that pollinates "Blue Princess" and other blue hollies, and gets to about 12 feet tall. "Castle Spire" (Ilex x meserveae "Castle Spire") is a new, compact female variety with a narrow, pyramidal habit. "Honey Maid" (Ilex x meserveae "Honey Maid") is a female with yellow and green variegated leaves that gets to 6 feet tall, while "Golden Girl" (Ilex x meserveae "Golden Girl") is broadly pyramidal but has yellow-orange fruits instead of red.

    Mounding Hollies

    • Hollies with a mounding habit are slightly wider than they are tall. "Blue Maid" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Maid") is a female variety that produces abundant red fruit and gets to about 15 feet tall and slightly wider. "Little Della" (Ilex "Little Della") is a dwarf female with a low mounding habit that reaches only 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. "Blue Baron" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Baron") and "Little Rascal" (Ilex x meserveae "Little Rascal") are both dwarf male varieties, but "Little Rascal" reaches only 2 feet in height and bears small, fine-textured leaves.

    Rounded Hollies

    • Rounded hollies are about as tall as they are wide or they have rounded tops. They seldom have strong central leaders. "China Boy" (Ilex x meserveae "China Boy"), "Blue Boy" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Boy") and "Blue Stallion" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Stallion") are all male varieties. "China Boy" pollinates "China Girl" and gets to about 10 feet tall and wide. "Blue Boy" pollinates "Blue Girl" and gets to about 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide. "Blue Stallion" has a long bloom period and can pollinate a number of blue hollies, and it reaches about 12 feet tall and wide. "China Girl" (Ilex x meserveae "China Girl") and "Blue Angel" (Ilex x meserveae "Blue Angel") are female varieties. "Blue Angel" is slow-growing and gets to about 8 feet tall, while "China Girl" reaches 10 feet tall and wide.

    Columnar Hollies

    • Columnar hollies are about as wide at the bottom as they are at the top. "Castle Wall" (Ilex x meserveae "Castle Wall") pollinates "Castle Spire" and reaches 7 feet tall but only 3 to 4 feet wide. "Dragon Lady" (Ilex x meserveae "Dragon Lady" or Ilex x aquipernyi "Dragon Lady") is somewhat columnar but sometimes slightly pyramidal. It's a female variety that's pollinated by "Blue Stallion" and reaches 20 feet in height while reaching only 6 feet in width.

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Shrubs
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