holly house plant Ilex

A wonderful workhorse with a flashy side! The Honey Maid Holly, (Ilex x meserveae 'Honey Maid')' is a broadleaf evergreen with a naturally sturdy pyramidal shape and really punches up the curbside appeal of any home or landscape!

With branching that is horizontal and a bit irregular, just to keep things interesting, Honey Maid generally grows very dense and shrubby. Honey Maid's foliage puts on a year-round show! Variegated blue-green leaves with creamy-yellowish margins, it's fantastically showy! The leaf edges are slightly toothy and spiny, giving the entire plant a wonderful texture.

With very consistent coloration all year, you'll always have a stalwart presence in your landscape!

Honey Maid's tiny white flowers in late April and early May, draw pollinators. Imagine big fat bumblebees dangling from white bell flowers or butterflies fluttering about! While they are not overwhelmingly ornamental, the flowers are numerous!

When fall arrives, the yellowy cream and blue-green foliage does not change much, instead remains unwavering in its flashy impact. However, if you have a male plant in the area, Honey Maid is a female selection and adorns herself with bright red berries if a male pollinator such as Blue Prince or Castle Wall is planted nearby! Persisting all winter, the fruit is very showy, glossy and irresistible to birds!

All this, and combined with that fantastic natural pyramid form, make Honey Maid a truly outstanding selection for your landscape!

How to Use Honey Maid Holly In The Landscape

The natural triangular form of Honey Maid makes her the perfect exclamation point to highlight your home's foundation planting, to add high-style curb appeal!

Creating uniquely shaped hedges, both formal or informal, the upright zig-zag these create when planted in a row is high impact privacy, screening, and visual barrier.

Also lovely as the perfect specimen plant to draw the eye in your garden beds or become a unique backdrop to smaller shrubs and perennials. Honey Maid also works amazingly in containers! What an accent when you plant a pair flanking your entrance or to mark the beginning of a walkway or path's entrance.

Don't forget to incorporate these for the bees and butterflies in spring and to feed your local bird population in the fall!

#ProPlantTips For Care

Honey Maid grows best in full sun, however, she will tolerate light shade. However, less sun will result in a more open growing habit. Cold hardy in the growing zones from 6 through 9 (and can be grown in zone 5 if planted in a sheltered location out of winter winds).

Holly prefers moderately moist, well-drained soils, but adaptable to most soil types. She does need a slightly acidic medium. Water regularly to establish young plants, then top off with supplemental watering in drought and times of need.

Growing to an impressive 7' - 8' tall, and 4-5' wide, you can prune these smaller right after flowering.

Because Honey Maid is female, you'll need to plant with a male Holly such as Blue Prince or Castle Wall™ nearby for the fall berries.

For persistent color all year, Honey Maid Holly's shape, toughness and tolerance make her a unique and high-style choice for all landscapes! Order yours from Nature Hills Nursery and punch up your home's curb appeal today!