Edward J. Stevens Holly

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/.