Red Beauty® Holly

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a tidy, neat appearance, shear to shape in early spring. Pruning time: winter.

This versatile and easy care Holly is a wonderful addition to any garden style. Whether you have an Asian, European or Wildlife garden, Red Beauty can be included as a specimen, hedge or mass planting. Plant it in view of the street or picture window and string it with lights for a living Christmas tree. Its conical, dense form makes it easy care and a stunning addition to large gardens and natural areas.

Although perfect as a stand alone specimen or living Christmas tree, you can pair Red Beauty with other bird loving plants like Snowberry, Apple Serviceberry, Cranberrybush, Woodbine Honeysuckle, Japanese Flowering Quince, Cotoneaster, Echinacea and Raspberry.

This hybrid Holly comes to us after 22 years of research by Dr. Elwin Orton of Rutgers University in New Brunswich, NJ and combines the best genetic traits of I. meserveae and I. pernyi. I. x meserveae were originally bred by Mrs. Leighton Meserve of New York by using two species, I. rugosa, a cold hardy, Japanese spreading Holly, and I. aquifolium, a European tree holly that produces an abundance of berries. I. pernyi was introduced to the west by E.H. Wilson, a notable plant collector from England. He discovered the Holly in western China along the Min River. Holly berries are mildly toxic and will cause vomiting and diarrhea if eaten by humans. They are an extremely valuable food source to birds and other animals. Red Beauty requires a male pollenizer to set berries. Any of the male I. meserveae varieties such as Blue Prince work best.