Ilex x meserveae ‘Hecken Star’®

Description

Ilex x meserveae 'Hecken Star'® - is an evergreen holly, a very dense and fast-growing shrub with a columnar, fairly wide habit. The hybrid Ilex x meserveae was bred by accident by Kathleen Meserve, who was an amateur horticulturist from Long Island.
The holly group Ilex x meserveae proved to be a hit worldwide. Later, Kathleen Meserve bred many more varieties of this hybrid. As she joked in one interview: "(...) I made a breakthrough discovery for $15, something that many breeding centres have not been able to achieve for thousands in their breeding programmes (...) you don't have to be a professional botanist or a trained horticulturist to grow plants for the garden (...)"
Ilex x meserveae 'Hecken Star' ® grows to a height of approximately 3 m. The leaves are elliptical in shape are dark green and leathery, finely toothed and not prickly. Male variety. Requires a sunny or semi-shaded position, the soil should be permeable and moderately moist.
Holds frost to -27 degrees ^oC.
Due to its exceptional frost hardiness, nice habit and glossy foliage, this holly finds use:

• as a hedge plant,
• in the gardens,
• in parks,
• in the urban green,
• planted singly or in groups.