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Mary Nell holly is a pyramidal evergreen shrub or small tree with very shiny dark olive green leaves. The leaves are 3-4 in (7.6-10.2 cm) long and have short spines along the margins. Mary Nell grows with a single stem and unless it is kept pruned, can get 10-20 ft (3.1-6.1 m) tall with a 10 ft (3.1 m) spread. Mary Nell holly is a female clone and she produces an abundance of vivid red berries that seem to grow in a spiral around the stems. The showy berries persist on the bush for an extended period in the fall and winter. Ilex 'Mary Nell' is a selection made in 1981 by Tom Dodd, Jr. from a controlled cross made in 1962 at Tom Dodd Nurseries in Semmes, Alabama. The late Dr. Joe McDaniel, former Professor of Horticulture at the University of Illinois, crossed a lusterleaf holly (Ilex latifolia) with a holly that was itself a hybrid between Burford holly (I. cornuta 'Burfordii') and 'Red Delight' perny holly (I. pernyi 'Red Delight'). The selection was named for Dr. McDaniel's widow, Mary Nell. 'Mary Nell Sibling' is another selection from that same cross. It also is a female, but has smaller leaves with more marginal spines.
Location
Culture
Mary Nell holly should be valuable in an evergreen shrub border, as an informal hedge or as a specimen alone or in a small group. It can be pruned to tree form or to shrub form.
Features There are more than 400 species of hollies in the world. Most are evergreen, but some 30 species are deciduous. There are many hundreds of species and cultivars of hollies in cultivation. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a popular deciduous holly and inkberry (I. glabra) and the beautiful American holly (I. opaca) are popular evergreen hollies, all from the eastern United States. Visit the Holly Society of America for a sampling of the many beautiful hollies available to gardeners. Steve Christman 11/24/00, 10/27/04
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