Blue Prince Holly — Ilex × meserveae 'Blue Prince'

Blue Prince Holly (Ilex × meserveae 'Blue Prince') is an upright broadleaf evergreen shrub with dark blue-green, toothed leaves and purple stems. Its dense foliage provides year-round structure for hedges, privacy screens and foundation plantings.

Blue Prince is a male cultivar and does not produce berries. It supplies pollen for compatible female hollies flowering at the same time, helping those female plants set fruit.

Growing details

• Plant type: Broadleaf evergreen shrub
• Parentage: Ilex aquifolium × Ilex rugosa
• Listed height and spread: 8–12 feet tall and wide
• Spacing: Approximately 10 feet apart
• USDA hardiness zones: 5–9
• Light: Full sun to part sun
• Soil: Moist, slightly acidic and well-drained
• Flowers: White
• Foliage: Dark blue-green with toothed edges
• Fruit: None; male cultivar
• Season of interest: Year-round

Care and garden use

This low-maintenance shrub benefits from regular watering and well-drained soil. In hotter climates, provide protection from intense afternoon sun to help prevent leaf scorch or leaf drop. Allow ample room for its listed mature size.

Use as an accent, in groups, along borders, at woodland edges, or as a hedge or privacy screen. Foundation beds and containers must accommodate its mature size. Magnolia, rhododendron and hydrangea are companion options where growing requirements align.

Image credit: Famartin, Blue Holly male flowers in Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, April 22, 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plants naturally vary in appearance and may differ from the images shown.