Ilex aquifolium 'Blue prince' 2ltr

'Blue Prince' is a handsome blue holly with an RHS Award of Garden Merit, valued for its dark, bluish-green, glossy, spiny leaves carried on striking purplish stems. Together they give a richer, moodier look than common holly, and they make a fine evergreen backdrop all year round. It's a male form, so it doesn't berry itself. Its small white spring flowers make it an excellent pollinator, and planting it near female blue hollies such as 'Blue Princess' helps them produce heavy crops of red berries.

It forms a large, bushy, prickly shrub, eventually reaching around 2.5–4m tall and wide over 10–20 years. It clips well, so it can easily be kept smaller as a dense, intruder-deterring hedge or a shaped specimen. It's exceptionally hardy (RHS H7) and grows well in exposed or sheltered spots and in almost any soil, including chalk, clay, loam and sand, as long as it isn't waterlogged. Full sun or partial shade both suit it, and it's a good choice for town and courtyard gardens. Trim hedges in late summer. Holly berries are toxic if eaten, and although 'Blue Prince' doesn't berry itself, the spiny leaves make gloves a good idea when handling or pruning.

Supplied in a 2 litre pot, it's a young plant ready to plant out for hedging or as a pollinating partner for female hollies.

Each plant is hand-selected before dispatch.
Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.