LOUISE’S FAVOURITE HOLLIES

Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Golden King’: This is an ancient holly, dating back to 1884: a female, bright-red berry-bearing cultivar, with beautiful, bright, gold-edged, spineless leaves, good bright red berries and a bushy, dense habit suited to topiary. Height 13-26ft (4-8m); spread 8-13ft (2.4-4m) over 20-50 years.

Silver cultivars of English holly, Ilex aquifolium:

‘Silver Lining’: A female seedling, found at Highfield in 1993. Its dark green leaves are finely edged in silver, changing to crimson-red in winter to complement the small, but bright, red berries. Height 39ft (12m). ‘Argentea Marginata’: A really handsome female holly, bearing masses of red berries, with green stems and silver-margined foliage, tinged pink when young. Naturally conical in shape, it makes a good bush, tree or hedging plant. Height 39ft (12m); spread 13-26ft (4-8m) over 20-50 years.

‘Handsworth New Silver’: This is a really silvery holly, with attractive purple young shoots and stems. Its long, elliptic leaves and prickles are brilliantly edged in silver. This compact, dense, red berry-bearing female will make a handsome tree or hedging plant. Height 13-26ft (4-8m); spread 8-13ft (2.4-4m) over 20-50 years.

‘Elegantissima’: A handsome silver-leafed holly, with small leaves, it grows into a beautiful stately pyramidal tree or large shrub. The one at Highfield is an often overlooked male, but an excellent pollinator, and quite hard to come by. Height 13-26ft (4-8m); spread 8-13ft (2.4-4m) over 20-50 years.