Ilex aquifolium 'MYRTIFOLIA AUREA MACULATA'

This holly seems to have identity crisis. In the book of varieties there are two names - Myrtifolia Aurea Maculata and Angustifolia Aurea Maculata. Both mean basically the same: narrow-leaved spotted gold. Well, I recon there must have been a reason then why naming them differently, supposedly there were two plants found as natural mutations in different corners of the world hence the split identities. Anyway, that's just to explain why you may find an identical plant with a different name.

Myrtifolia Aurea Maculata is slow growing variegated holly with very attractive leaves. They are narrow, dark green at deeply serrated, not very spiny margins, with yellow centres, and some light green parts in between those two colours. Yellow colour is paler in the season and deeper in autumn and winter. Foliage is glossy and evergreen, providing all-year-round interest which makes this holly ideal for front yards and other locations of frequent use especially in winter when deciduous plants are bare. It grows at slow growth rate forming a dense shrub of almost equal height and width.

It can be trimmed or clipped in mid-summer. Pruning that will encourage new growths is advised early in the spring (after the frosts). Thanks to its small size and compact habit it will fit even the smallest of gardens or a large pot. It will look great in a larger rockery, or combined with larger shrubs of different foliage colours and small trees with short stems.

As every holly it needs fertile, acidic, moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy and does not suffer with sunscald in winter so you can place in both full sun and part shade. In shaded locations it will become somewhat irregular and leggy. It is hardy to about -27°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 13-01-2016