Castle Wall® Blue Holly (Ilex)
Shrub
- Tower-like cylindrical habit great for foundation plantings & hedges!
- Tiny white flowers in late spring attract pollinators.
- Male pollinator for the Castle series.
- Lustrous green foliage for season long interest.
- Zones 5-7, sun/part sun, 8′ tall x 4′ wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Blue holly is a classic evergreen holly with handsome green foliage. Many varieties come in a naturally neat habit that requires no pruning to maintain its unique shape. Its ease of maintenance and gorgeous green foliage make holly ideal for foundation plantings or hedges.
Details
Patent: USPP 14,308
Common name: Blue holly
Zone: 5 - 7
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 5-8' tall x 3-4' wide
Flower color: White
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Year-round
Bloom time: Spring
Features: Rabbit resistant, Proven Winners, privacy & screening, evergreens
Uses: Hedges, foundation planting, specimen
How to Grow
Light: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part sun (4-6 hours sun)
Water: Average - do not overwater, as holly can readily suffer root rot.
Space: min. 5' apart. Plant this male variety within 50' of the female plants.
Fertilizing: If desired, fertilize in early spring, once the ground has thawed, with a granular rose fertilizer. A second application may be made in late spring/early summer as well.
Winterizing: 2-3" of shredded bark mulch is important to protect the shallow roots and minimize water loss. Do not allow plants to enter winter "thirsty" – dry soil during cold, windy weather is the main cause of leaf browning or even the plant dying.
Maintenance: None required. Because it does not set fruit, can be trimmed after flowering if desired.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
Planted our 10 females and 3 males on April 23rd and now (12 weeks later) they all look the same size as when planted. Missouri has had a lot of rain, and I read that it is easy to over water, so have kept close watch on soil moisture below mulch. Evergreen fertilizer spikes between each bush for nutrients. Definite lack of new leaf growth! All are caged to protect from nibbling squirrels. Would not recommend these for a privacy hedge as their current "under 8 inches" will take forever to grow into a hedge. Pictures show the mulched trench planting and delivery size on April 23rd. The pic with my hand show current size. All are green, but hoping the energy is going into root growth because it sure isn't in the leaves.
Castle Wall® Blue Holly (Ilex)
At first, I thought they were very small plants and I was disappointed, but I have repotted them and they are growing beautifully and very healthy. I am very pleased and will soon plant in my mulch beds
I was unable to cancel my order because they shipped. I realized that the zone is hardy to 7 and I am in 8b. I hope they make it.
We're sorry that you've received planta that grow outside of your USDA zone. We do alert customers before checking out when there are plants outside of their gardening zones. Double checking your zone is something we also recommend before proceeding to check out. Our customer service team would love to hear from you. Please contact us, and we look forward to helping in any way we can! Thank you for leaving us a review.
Small but healthy
We're sorry you are not satisfied with your plants! We do note that all of our plants are young on each product page and on our plant sizes page https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/sizes.The size and maturity of the plants varies widely depending on the time of the year you purchased and if they were recently trimmed. The important thing when it comes to purchasing plants, whether online or in a garden center, is that they have a full, robust root system, and that's what we prioritize in our greenhouses. The more roots a plant has, the more energy it can put into growing once it is planted in your garden. We do keep our plants trimmed to encourage strong root development!
Planted in partial shade at the end of May and has already begun pushing new growth. Arrived healthy. Very happy with this plant!
Will this pillinate any female holly?
Hi there! Castle Wall® Blue Holly will pollinate the female varieties in the Castle series which are Castle Keep and Castle Spire.
Will this plant stay green year round and survive our cold Winter and drought in Summer. I'm in zone 7
Castle Wall® Blue Holly suitable for zones 5 through 7, so it's well-equipped to handle the cold winters in your zone 7 location. It prefers moist but well-drained soils. It's important to ensure the soil doesn't dry out completely, especially in fall and winter before the ground freezes, to prevent winter burn. During summer droughts, you should monitor soil moisture and water the plant as needed to keep it healthy.
Will this pollinate a Blue Girl Holly?
One Castle Wall will pollinate up to five Castle Keep and/or Castle Spire. Plant within 50’ of the female varieties to ensure pollination.
Will Castle Wall pollinate Blue Girl holly?
Thank you for contacting us! Castle Wall Blue Holly will pollinate up to Five Castle Keep and/or Castle Spire. A male pollinator is needed for berry production such as Ilex 'Blue Boy' or 'Blue Prince'.
It says " not suitable for my location" , but I had this bush it a former home about 20 miles away and they were 5' tall × 7' at least (with pruning back) and were very healthy plants and gave red berries in the fall. I don't understand why you say this. The ground did freeze on winter (same as where I lived now). Need female (2) and 1 make holly plant.
Different cultivars may be suited for different growing zones, so it's likely a different plant! Castle Wall blue holly is best suited for zones 5-7, and while we don't recommend growing it in your area, we won't stop you from giving it a shot! Just keep in mind that plants grown outside of their recommended zones are not covered by our 60-day guarantee.