American Holly - Ilex meserveae Blue Angel

The Ilex (x) merseveae 'Blue Angel' is a superb female selection of Meserve Holly, remarkable for the colours of its foliage and fruit.  This bush, which has a silhouette reminiscent of a broad pyramid, has a very beautiful evergreen and spiny foliage of a very dark green-blue colour, remarkably shiny, which forms a superb setting for its clusters of large deep red berries. This holly requires the proximity of a male plant like 'Blue Prince' to bear fruit. Resistant to pollution, this holly thrives in neutral to slightly acidic and deep soils. It does well in full sun or partial shade, in a mixed hedge, in a border, or as a standalone plant.

Meserve Holly is a horticultural hybrid obtained in the United States in 1964. It is the result of the cross-breeding between 'Ilex aquifolium, the common holly of our forests, and Ilex rugosa, a Japanese species found at high altitudes, almost prostrate, with large berries and rough-textured leaves. All these bushes belong to the Aquifoliaceae family.

The 'Blue Angel' variety, which only produces female flowers, was recently selected in the USA in 1974. This excellent variety has been awarded in England for its ornamental qualities and performance in the garden. The bush has a pyramidal shape, slightly spreading but dense. It slowly reaches an average height of 3.50m (9.8 ft) with a width of 2.50m (8.2ft). It is characterized by its tough, oval, slightly undulate, toothed and glossy leaves, almost blue when they first emerge, then taking on a very dark green-blue colour. The cold sometimes gives them a reddish hue.

All hollies are dioecious plants, meaning that there are subjects bearing male flowers and subjects bearing female flowers. Only the latter bear fruit, which are highly prized for their ornamental value. Blue Angel holly produces small insignificant but nectar-rich flower clusters in spring, white-pink in colour, which will then develop into beautiful fruit after fertilization by a male holly, planted nearby. The fruits of this 'Blue Angel' variety are of a good size and a deep red colour. Recognizing the sex of the flowers requires a trained eye; they all have four white petals with purple tips, and their surface is waxy, but male flowers are recognizable by their four protruding stamens with yellow anthers, while female flowers have a short, oval, green pistil. The same bush can produce both male and atrophied female flowers, which cannot be pollinated. The seeds are dispersed by birds that love the fruits.

The Ilex (x) meserveae Blue Angel is a centrepiece of the winter garden. It is perfect in a natural or mixed hedge, alongside Eleagnus, Laurustinus, Cotoneaster lacteus, Photinia, or Osmanthus. It dislikes lime, which causes its beautiful foliage to turn yellow, and prefers deep and fairly fertile soils. Hardy well below -15°C (5°F), it prefers partially shaded to sunny places, for example under trees or at the edge of woodland, in a large natural garden. When isolated, it attracts attention in autumn and winter, to be admired comfortably from indoors.  

Hollies are both loved and misunderstood plants. The genus includes nearly 800 deciduous or evergreen species, generally native to the temperate northern hemisphere. These very ancient plants have survived the alternation of glacial periods and dry and hot periods in our climatic history, which makes them extremely adaptable and resistant plants. Their wood, white to cream, is very low in water, even when green. It is dense and heavy but soft and easy to work with in cabinetmaking. It is also an excellent fuel for heating, usable even when green. Finally, its foliage and (inedible) berries are rich in caffeine. A tea is prepared with its leaves in the Black Forest.