Ilex x altaclerensis 'GOLDEN KING' Highclere holly

Golden King is a High Clare hybrid holly that will win you over with its conspicuously variegated, almost thornless leaves. They are evergreen, leathery, glossy, broadly oval to obovate, dark green in the middle and bright yellow at margins. It was discovered at the Bangholm Nursery in Scotland shortly before 1876 as a spontaneous mutation of and older, green-leaved variety called Hendersonii. In 1888 the nursery owners, the Lawson Company, sold the premises with the entire stock including the mother plant of this gem to Little and Ballantyne, who decided to propagate it and rather unwisely named the new variety Golden King, as if they did not realize that it was a female plant. Nevertheless, it was a huge success, and it is quite surprising that it was not until more than a century later - in 2002 - that it was awarded AGM (Award of Garden Merit) by the English Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

As every female holly, it needs a male pollination partner to produce berries. In this case any large-leaved male holly species will do the job (i. aquifolium, i. x altaclerensis, i. x koehneana, etc.). Small-leaved species such as i. crenata are unsuitable. Pollination is done by winged insects, especially bees that can carry pollen from the distance of almost 2 km so in theory, you needn’t own a male holly yourself if you want berries and know that there is more than one male holly in your neighbourhood. The berries are not edible nor poisonous but contain saponins which cause severe discomfort if eaten.

Golden King is a slow grower in C.E. climate. Its natural shape is rather spreading and shrubby without a strong terminal leader. In countries with ideal climate and growing conditions for hollies (England, north Germany, the Netherlands and similar) it can grow to 4-5 meters, however, in Central Europe we can expect 2-3 meters if we are lucky. It grows slowly and can be pruned and shaped to maintain smaller size or a better shape. Do not cut into old wood. It takes a considerable amount of time to repair its shape. Pruning in April will encourage new growths, trimming by end July is ideal for shaping.

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 it well with quality substrate of highly acidic level (low pH value). Make a gradual slope with this mixture from the plant’s 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 water it more often as it will be more prone to drying out as opposed to most common flat-in-the-ground transplanting. If you live in a region with cold winters and long-lasting frost, we recommend growing it in a position sheltered from drying winds, and preferably shaded from winter sun. Hardy to about -25 °C (USDA zone 6). Not suitable for outdoor planters.

Last update 16-01-2009; 15-10-2024