Evergreen – Sun to shade
llex x ‘Mary Nell'
Height: 12-15 ft.
Spacing: 6-8 ft.  8-10 ft.  

Habit:  Mary Nell holly is a pyramidal evergreen shrub or small tree with very shiny dark green leaves which are 3-4 in long and have short soft spines along the margins. Mary Nell grows with a single trunk and unless it is kept pruned and produces an abundance of vivid red berries that seem to grow in a spiral around the stems. The showy berries persist on the bush for an extended period in the fall and winter.

Culture:  Grows best in full sun but can tolerate some shade. Should be pruned aggressively to encourage a dense framework of branches.  Needs normal watering.

Uses:  Is valuable in an evergreen shrub border, as an informal hedge or as a specimen alone or in a small group. It can be pruned to tree form or to shrub form.

Notes: Mary Nell holly is a relatively new cultivar and not yet heavily used but is quickly gaining popularity.