Rendez-vous aux Jardins - 30, 31 May, 1 June 2008 : "Travelling Plants"

Horticultural Uses of Ilex (Holly)

hedges - screens - orchard (Christmas branches and berries) - topiary - rockeries (in Japan) - bonsai

The main horticultural species are :

- altaclerensis (hybrids aquifolium X perado) more than 50 varieties

- aquifolium : 300 or more varieties

- X attenuata : about 45 varieties (hybrids opace X cassine)

- cornuta (Chinese Holly) : 75 varieties

- crenata (Japanese Holly) : 300 or 400 varieties (probably needs to be sorted; many are very similar)

- opaca (American hollies) several hundred varieties but probably not very interesting for us in Europe.

- glabra : a dozen varieties (all very distinctive)

- cassine : 6 varieties

- vomitoria : 40 varieties

- verticillata : more than 30 deciduous varieties

- decidua : 15 to 20 deciduous varieties

Hybrids are also very interesting :
a) meservae (rugosa X aquifolium) called Blue Hollies
b) koeheana (aquifoli X latifolia) more than 30 varieties and the most vgourous of all the Hollies
c) aquifolium X cornuta : numerous varieties
d) pernyi X other species :    "       "
e) cornuta X pernyi :    "       "
f) opaca X aquifolium :    "       "
g) ciliospinosa X other species :    "       "
h) latifolium X :    "       "
i) integra X :    "       "
j) cassine X vomitoria X myrtifolia

click : travelling plants | summary of Ilex | horticultural uses of Ilex | the Yville trial gardens | the Holly collection at Yville