Quackin Grass Nursery

Ilex pedunculosa 'Frosty Morn' (FEMALE) – This variegated female form of Ilex pedunculosa is among the hardiest of the evergreen Holly clan, this one arguably the pretties. Its alternate bright green leaves are limned with creamy white. The simple leaves are reminiscent of Bay Laurel or the emblematic Ficus Tree found in so many building atria and business offices in urban settings. When fruiting, those red fruits dangling among the green and white leaves, 'Frosty Morn' becomes a shrub to behold - like a Christmas festival. I suppose if it was your bent that stems with or without fruit would make a beautiful supplement to the palette of other evergreens utilized in the late year for wreathes, garlands and bouquets. A male must be present for fruit production. Flowers are white. Fruits dangle at the ends of long peduncles, hence, its common name: Longstalk Holly. (The common name is also associated with Ilex mucronatus, formerly and synonymous with Nemopanthus.) Though Longstalk Holly often achieves upwards of 30 feet in the wild with commensurate width, in the home landscape it will generally grow to about 15 feet tall with potential equal width. And this variegated form may even remain smaller. Solidly evergreen for us in USDA zone 5b this is a shrub that forms a great screen, hedge, barrier or backdrop to a perennial border formal or casual as this specie responds well to pruning. With extra work I expect it could be trained into a single-stem tree. 'Frosty Morn' is a Summer Hill Nursery introduction and a beautiful one at that. Plant in fertile, draining soil in full to mostly sunny siting. Established potted starter shrub grown from cutting.