Why Plant Blue Prince Meserve Holly Big?
Love is in the air! Blue Prince Holly makes the perfect Finishing Touch for the landscape with its glossy, deep blue-green leaves on purple stems. Its evergreen foliage is a sight for sore eyes in the cold, dark days of winter. But handsome foliage is only part of its appeal. Blue Prince is primarily valued as a pollinator for female Hollies, like Blue Princess, Blue Maid, Blue Girl, and China Girl. With the help of bees, this robust guy will give the ladies lots of shiny red berries. Plant one Blue Prince for every five female Hollies for best fruit set.
The story of the Blue Prince Holly is a remarkable one. It began on Long Island, where an amateur gardener named Kathleen Meserve lived. Meserve had a special fondness for Hollies, but most of the Hollies available to gardeners in her day weren’t dependably cold-hardy. They were English Hollies, adapted to the mild climate of that country, not the icy winters of New York. Most gardeners would have simply given up on Hollies, but Meserve had another idea. She learned how to breed them and hybridized her own cold-hardy new varieties! She bred Blue Prince in the 1950s; it was introduced in 1972. Today it’s one of the most popular male Hollies in the country.
How to use Blue Prince Meserve Holly Big in the landscape?
Mix one or two Blue Prince Hollies in with your Blue Princess or other female Hollies to make sure your ladies get plenty of glossy red berries. These Hollies make outstanding privacy screens with their evergreen foliage that blocks prying eyes all year-round. You can also plant them along your foundation to give color and structure to your entryway garden. These Finishing Touches get large in mild climates, but they respond well to pruning and can be maintained at any size you wish.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
How To Plant Blue Prince Meserve Holly Big
Blue Prince Holly is tougher than many other Hollies, but it does prefer a moderate climate. It performs best with protection from icy winter winds; at the other extreme, it struggles in the Deep South because of the intense heat there. Give it part shade or full sun, but avoid baking-hot southern and western exposures. Apply water regularly if no rain falls, making sure the soil doesn’t remain soggy. Blue Prince will not produce any berries, but it will pollinate many types of female Hollies, ensuring that a generous crop is produced.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
