Holly or Ilex are a dioecious plants with male and female sexual organs on separate shrubs. Female shrubs bear fruit when pollinated by a separate male plant. If there is no nearby male pollen the female will not berry.

Most plants have bisexual floral structures that contain both male and female reproductive parts. Some times there are separate male and female flowers on the same plant. In both these instances they can self-fertilize but will benefit from cross-fertilization with another plant to improve genetic diversity.

Tips for  Holly Pollination

• For succesful pollination check your male and female varieties will flower at the same time.
• Plant a male plant nearby to your female plants.
• If possible chose a male plant with one parent from the same species as the female.
• Do not rely on the Holly’s name for determining the sex. (Milk Boy, Golden King and Indian chief are female whilst Victoria and Golden Queen for example are male).
• Ask your supplier for the right sex plant.
• Inspect flowers, male plants have stamens but rudimentary carpels. Female flowers have nonfunctional rudimentary stamen.

Pruning Hollies

• For a good crop of berries avoid routine pruning.
• Hard spring pruning may reduce the production of flowers and berries for several years.
• I have asked 4 gardeners when to undertake any pruning and got the answers, late winter, spring, autumn and, believe it or not, from a nationally reknown gardener ‘The “right” time to prune holly and other evergreens is mid- to late-summer, when recovery is swift yet the growing season comparatively short.’ I dare not ask anyone else as there seems to be no time left