Blue Princess Holly

The Blue Princess Holly, also known as the Ilex X Meserveae Blue Princess, allows you to capture the charming spirit of the holidays during the warmer months of the year with ornamental, rich red berries and dark, spiky green-blue foliage. This holiday shrub features highly glossy leaves on purple stems and grows berries during the springtime. Be aware that the berries can be mildly poisonous to both humans and animals, so please keep them away from children and pets. At full maturity, you can expect your shrub to reach a height of about 12 to 15 inches and a spread of 8 to 10 inches. This evergreen shrub has a moderate growth rate, adding about 1 to 2 feet of growth per year. It grows upright and is low maintenance, making it easy to care for. Although deer resistant, there are some pests you may need to watch out for, including leaf miners and spider mites. Furthermore, this plant may be susceptible to diseases such as powdery mildew, leaf spot, and tar spot. However, you can treat these conditions easily by using a spray fungicide. You can also help to prevent diseases by ensuring your shrub is getting an adequate level of air circulation. The Blue Princess Holly shrub can be used in landscapes, mass planting, hedges, foundations, or as an accent piece. Blue Princess Holly Plant Care Your shrub will grow best when getting partial shade to full sun, preferably a minimum of 3 hours of direct sunlight. The ideal time for planting is during early fall. When planting, you can add a layer of mulch to help with moisture retention as this plant needs moist, well-drained soil of either an acidic or neutral pH ranging from 5 to 7. You can also mix compost into the soil at the time of planting. Your shrub will need to be watered regularly, preferably on a weekly basis or more frequently in cases of extreme heat. For fertilizer, you can use an organic one made specifically for holly shrubs. You can leave your Blue Princess Holly shrub unsheared to let it achieve its full height and width for privacy screens. Although pruning is not necessary, you can prune it during early wintertime to cut the stems and use the berries as indoor décor. However, the later you prune, the fewer berries will grow next year. Blue Princess Holly Plant Spacing When planting your Blue Princess Holly shrub, make sure to leave approximately 8 to 10 feet of space in between each plant.