page_title: Ilex aquifolium
section_title: Cultivation
hierarchical_section_title: Ilex aquifolium / Cultivation
caption_attribution_description: English: Variegated English Holly at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance headquarters in Southampton Township, New Jersey
context_page_description: Ilex aquifolium, the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called "holly". It is an evergreen tree or shrub found, for example, in shady areas of forests of oak and in beech hedges. In the British Isles it is one of very few native evergreen trees. It has a great capacity to adapt to different conditions and is a pioneer species that repopulates the margins of forests or clearcuts.
  I. aquifolium can exceed 10 m in height, but is often found at much smaller heights, typically 2–3 m tall and broad, with a straight trunk and pyramidal crown, branching from the base. It grows slowly and does not usually fully mature due to cutting or fire. It can live 500 years, but usually does not reach 100.
  Ilex aquifolium is the species of holly long associated with Christmas, and previously the Roman festival of Saturnalia.
context_section_description: Ilex aquifolium is widely grown in parks and gardens in temperate regions.  Numerous cultivars have been selected,  of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:- 
  I. aquifolium
  'Amber' (female)
  'Argentea Marginata'
  'Ferox Argentea'
  'Golden Queen'
  'Handsworth New Silver'
  'J.C. van Tol'
  'Madame Briot'
  'Myrtifolia Aurea Maculata'
  'Pyramidalis'
  'Silver Queen'
  The hybrid Ilex × altaclerensis was developed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England, in 1835, a cross between I. aquifolium and the tender species I. perado.  The following cultivars have gained the RHS AGM:-
  'Belgica Aurea'
  'Camelliifolia'
  'Golden King'
  'Lawsoniana'
  Hollies are often used  for hedges; the spiny leaves make them difficult to penetrate, and they take well to pruning and shaping.
caption: One of several variegated cultivars
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