Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Maid’

Botanical Name: Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Maid’
Common Name: Blue Maid Meserve Holly

Plant Hardiness: Zone 5

Flower: Small white flowers are plentiful but not very showy

Bloom Time: Spring – April into May

Foliage: Dark, blue-green, glossy leaves with small spines spaced along the leaf margin. Leaves turn slightly purple during the winter

Fruit: Large bright red berries form in late summer and last into winter

Habit: Fast growing pyramid

Size: 15 feet tall or more if happy

Sun Exposure: Full sun is best. Can tolerate some shade but will be more open the less sun it gets

Native Habitat: None as this is a hybrid, which was developed on Long Island, NY

Other Features: Since Ilex are dioecious, a male plant is required nearby to produce fruit

Category:

Description

Description: This is one of the most recent introductions of Mrs. Meserve’s ‘aquifolium-rugosa’ crosses, and at this point I feel it is the best one. Supposedly hardier than the others, it grows with a broad pyramidal habit and should attain a height of approximately 15 feet or more if happy. Its berries are large and brilliant red. I particularly like the new growth when it first starts pushing in spring and summer, for it is also red and gives the plant a little extra at that time of the year. The foliage is a dark bluish-green, and its branch structure is such that it makes a very full plant without much shearing. It produces the best looking plant at the age we sell them.

Related products