Ilex aquifolium 'MADAME BRIOT' English holly - female

Madame Briot is a respectable lady in the world of hollies when it comes to age. It was introduced by Pierre-Louis Briot around 1850’s but unfortunately we could not trace back any notes regarding its origin – whether it was a sport of another holly or a result of a controlled breeding programme. It boasts highly attractive variegated foliage whose colour gets deeper in autumn and winter.

Leaves of Madame Briot holly are 4-6 cm long, spiny, evergreen, leathery, glossy, dark green in the centre, and pale to rich yellow at margins. Young leaves emerge rich purple-pink, just like the new twigs. Being a female plant, it produces (not many) small red berries in autumn if pollinated by a male plant growing nearby. They are not edible nor poisonous but contain saponins which cause severe discomfort if eaten.

It grows moderately, 15-25 cm per year into a narrowly pyramidal, upright habit. It is commonly pruned for achieving a more compact shape. Its evergreen foliage can brighten up even the coldest winter days with its cheerful colour. Mature plants reach about 3m tall in C.E. climate, however, in warmer countries with higher humidity they may get twice as large.

It bears a name of a French botanist and nurseryman Pierre-Louis Briot (1804-1888) whose father Louis-Dennis was a chief gardener of the gardens of Trianon in Versailles near Paris, France. In 1858 Pierre managed to breed his own variety of horse chestnut with pink flowers named Briotii, and he also came up with this holly variety that he dedicated to his mother.

Grow hollies in moist but well-drained, fertile soil. They can take periods of drought once established but dislike compacted, heavy-clay-based soils that turn very dry in summer, and often too wet in winter. If your soil is such, dig the planting hole only half the depth of the root ball, refine what you dig out and mix well with quality substrate of highly acidic level (low pH value). Using this mixture make a gradual slope from the stem to the original ground level and tamp it down as much as you can. Your root ball should not look like a molehill but more like a wide and flat mound. Mulch it well and keep watering it more often as it will be more prone to drying out as opposed to most common flat-in-the-ground transplanting. Hollies do best in full sun but can also grow in shade where they will lose their compact habit. Before and during winter when the soil is not frozen provide good watering. Hardy to about -26°C (USDA zone 5b).

Last update 21-03-2007; 21-11-2021