Quackin Grass Nursery

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Holly berries on this dwarf female form in late August

Ilex x 'Cross Christmas Charmer' (form. '#391', ex: Environmentals Nursery) - Having grown this evergreen holly for 20 years we have observed its attributes. Its typically-shaped dark green, glossy holly leaves are quite small - approximately 1" to 1.75" inches long. 'Cross Christmas Charmer' will grow larger than Rutger's making it a fine if not perfect candidate for foundation planting. In a container after ten years of evaluation our rounded, mounding shrub stands 24 inches tall. It is a female form and will produce bright red holly berries, not profusely but there they are. Jim Cross of Environmentals Nursery in Cutchogue, LI had been evaluating this unique evergreen holly hybrid, an unnamed dwarf. He left this world prior to dubbing this shrub with a proper name. The label, '#391' has been off-putting. As this is an unusual dwarf form - very different than the Rutgers Hybrids and with nothing else quite like it in the trade we have dubbed it with a much deserved moniker. Were it that Jim was with us still to be able to do this; it would have been his honor to label this worthy shrub with a proper name. I have held back feeling that is was not my place to do so in his stead but as we're the only nursery offering this demonstrably handy form I've taken the paternalistic if not arrogant liberty. Please know that I have done so after much consideration and I do so humbly. (I did hand one of these in 2019 to Adam Wheeler from Broken Arrow Nursery so they may also be offering it the gardening public in a few years time.) Fertile, organic friable soil with an organic mulch. Acid Ph. A south facing exposure may be too torrid for this plant; if facing south see to it that soils remain cool (mulch) and if possible partly shade it from a too-harsh exposure. This deserves more attention. Established, potted evergreen holly, cutting grown.