Edward J. Stevens Holly
Male Holly Pollenizer
Rooted Cutting Pricing - Shipping Included
| Qty | 1-4 | ||
| Price per Plant | $27.50 |
10 in stock
Ilex x ‘Edward J. Stevens’
The Edward J. Stevens holly is the lesser-known but equally distinguished male counterpart to the widely cultivated Nellie R. Stevens holly. Both originated from the garden of Ms. Nellie R. Stevens of Oxford, Maryland, where a Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta) and an English holly (Ilex aquifolium) cross-pollinated naturally to produce vigorous hybrid seedlings. Although the female plant quickly gained favor for its abundant red berries, the male specimen, later named ‘Edward J. Stevens’ in honor of Ms. Stevens’s father, remained largely unknown until years later. In 1952, Ms. Stevens’s niece, Eunice Highley, brought attention to the remarkable hollies during a Talbot County Garden Club meeting. After horticultural experts and members of the American Holly Society were unable to classify the hybrids, they were formally introduced to the nursery trade in 1954 by Gus A. Van-Lennep, Jr. of “Crooked Intention” Holly Nursery in St. Michaels, Maryland. Like its female counterpart, the Edward J. Stevens holly is a robust, fast-growing evergreen with a dense, pyramidal form and lustrous dark green foliage. Though it lacks berries, this characteristic can be advantageous in commercial or institutional landscapes where minimizing wildlife activity is preferred — such as airports, parking areas, or manicured public grounds. It also serves as an excellent pollinizer for the Nellie R. Stevens and is valued for its symmetry, reliability, and low-maintenance nature in both formal and naturalistic settings. Planting instruction can be found at boydnursery.net/arrival-care-notes/.
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Diseases & Insects | Problem Free |
| Family | Aquifoliaceae |
| Flowers | Flowers are staminate in 3 to 9 flowered cymes; pistillate solitary; flowers are dull white with yellow pollen tipped anthers; flowers appear during mid to late Spring |
| Growth Rate | |
| Hardiness Range | zone 6a – 9b *need help finding your hardiness zone? |
| Leaves | Leaves are lustrous dark green, slightly bullate, with 2 or 3 teeth on each side; elliptic, and 1.5-3.5" long and half as wide |
| Plant Type | |
| Primary Features | |
| Sex | dioecious (Male) |
| Size | 20-30 feet tall at maturity with 10-12 foot spread |
| Sun Requirement |
What am I buying?
We sell Edward J. Stevens Hollies as rooted cuttings. A rooted cutting is a young, living clone of a cultivated plant variety — genetically identical and sharing all the same desirable characteristics. Each cutting is propagated from our private stock and grown in a temperature-controlled greenhouse optimized to encourage strong, fibrous root development. Our cuttings are selected for viability — first and foremost defined by the quality of their root system. Each one is established in a well-formed root ball approximately 2 inches cubed, ready for transplant into a larger container. While overall plant height can vary with the natural growth of each cutting, most measure between 2 and 4 inches tall above the soil line at the time of shipment. On occasion, smaller cuttings may be selected when their root systems are especially well developed. This variation reflects the normal range of growth stages among healthy, actively rooting plants, rather than differences in quality. Typical cuttings are 3 to 6 months old and represent an ideal balance of youth, vigor, and transplant readiness.
When are plants collected?
Once your order is placed, your plants will be collected as soon as the weather permits. This time-frame is normally within 3-7 days. During heavy order periods (April-May), this collection time can grow to 10-14 days.
How are plants shipped?
All shipments are mailed via USPS Priority Mail using PirateShip.com. We monitor national weather conditions and temperatures for shipments. If at any time your order must be delayed for weather concerns, we will contact you by phone and/or email. The day that your order is completed or partially shipped, you will receive an email containing your package tracking number. You can also find this updated information by logging into your account on our website.
