Blue Prince Holly
Blue Prince Holly (Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Prince’) is a robust and evergreen male holly cultivar that is an essential pollinator for female hollies, such as Blue Princess, ensuring an abundance of striking red berries. Known for its dense, dark green foliage with a beautiful blue tint, Blue Prince adds year-round interest to any landscape. This shrub’s shiny, serrated leaves are highly ornamental, providing a bold contrast to flowering plants and enhancing the beauty of garden borders or foundation plantings. Blue Prince Holly is also popular as a windbreak or hedge, offering privacy with its dense, upright growth habit, reaching 10 to 12 feet in height and 6 to 8 feet in width.
In addition to its value as a pollinator, Blue Prince Holly is highly tolerant of a variety of growing conditions. It performs well in both full sun and partial shade, making it adaptable to different locations in the garden. The shrub prefers moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic, but it can tolerate periods of drought once established. This versatility makes Blue Prince a low-maintenance addition to the garden, and it retains its glossy foliage throughout the year, even in colder climates. The cold-hardiness of Blue Prince makes it suitable for growing in USDA zones 5 to 8, and its evergreen nature ensures your garden has color and texture even during the winter months.
For optimal berry production on female hollies such as Blue Princess, China Girl, or Blue Maid, plant Blue Prince Holly within 30 to 50 feet of the female plants to facilitate effective pollination. Though Blue Prince does not produce berries, its dark blue-green leaves are an excellent foil for the bright red berries on the female shrubs. Its deer resistance also makes Blue Prince Holly a valuable addition to landscapes prone to deer browsing. Blue Prince Holly brings year-round color, structure, and ecological benefits to any garden, whether used as a pollinator, hedge, or striking accent plant.
