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bluepoppy Landisburg, PA(Zone 6a) Sep 22, 2009

I have several holly bushes and I need a male. So I bought a china Boy...Now will it pollinate all hollies or just the China girl????

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HoosierGreen Danville, IN Sep 23, 2009

Probably just the China Girl, but possibly any other 'blue' hollies such as 'Blue Princess', 'Blue Maid', etc. since they are all Meserve hybrids, but that's iffy. Other holly species need particular male cultivars.

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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Sep 23, 2009

It's all about the bloom times, whether they overlap or not. Some hollies can be pollinated by different species of hollies, and some can produce sterile fruit without any pollinator. This can get complicated... what female hollies do you have, bluepoppy?

(Strictly speaking, China Boy and China Girl aren't blue hollies... they were hybridized by Meserve, but they are not Ilex x meserveae, which are I. rugosa x I. aquifolium. China Boy and China Girl are I. rugosa x I. cornuta. Lots of sites on the internet have this wrong, even ones that should know better...)

Red BeautyŽ a.k.a. 'Rutzan' today - don't ask who the father/pollinator was, I have no idea!

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bluepoppy Landisburg, PA(Zone 6a) Oct 08, 2009

then I am guessing my China Boy will not pollinate my Blue Princess holly??????

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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Oct 08, 2009

It might - it will if they bloom at the same time.

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susandonb1141 Triad(for a few more, NC(Zone 7a) Oct 27, 2009

I asked DG staff if they could start a Holly community, I want to raise them and learn all I can about them. I am in a horticulture program presently at one of our local community colleges and have become fascinated by them.

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