Description
Holly (ilex aquifolium) or English Holly is a lovely evergreen shrub or small tree that makes an amazing hedge. Although it is relatively slow growing holly can over time make a very dense hedge which has the added advantage of having spiny leaves which help to make this one of the most impenetrable hedges you can find. Holly (Ilex aquifolium) is also a very useful hedging plant because it stays dense down to the ground as well.
Holly (Ilex aquifolium) has a small white flower that is held in the leaf axils around April and May and this is followed with bright red berries in the winter months. These berries can be an important food sourece for wildlife during the winter months. Being a British native plant and one that is commonly grown from seed, you get small variations accross the plants which leads to small differences in how everything looks.
The leaves have a thick waxy coating on them which makes them able to with stand areas with high pollution levels and as such are great for hedges in an urban or industrial area. This coating also makes them resistant to salt spray so they are an excellent choice for an evergreen hedge in a coastal location.
The Royal Horticultural Society give Ilex aquifolium and Award of Garden Merit in 1984
