Ilex aquifolium 'MYRTIFOLIA' English holly - male

Some hollies are not sought-after for their colourful fruits but other features which make them unique and which may highlight your garden with.

Myrtifolia holly is a quite rare, male cultivar of common holly. It has deep green, narrow, super glossy leaves that are regularly spiny along the edges.

The growth is slow, habit is upright and very dense. It can be trimmed or clipped to achieve compact shapes in mid-summer, pruning that will encourage new growths is advised early in the spring (after the frosts). Try combining it with other evergreens of different leave shapes and sizes, or use it as a specimen above groundcovering shrubs in a small garden.

As every holly it needs fertile, acidic, moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy and does not suffer with sunscald in winter so you can place in both full sun and part shade. In shaded locations it will become somewhat irregular and leggy.

Last update 06-02-2011