Ilex mutchagara 'Nellie R. Stevens'Holly

Ilex mutchagara 'Nellie R. Stevens' is a hybrid of I. aquifolium and I. cornuta that takes the place of common holly in a project when the specification calls for an evergreen hedge of medium to tall height with reliable fruiting. It differs from common holly in its more regular crown, denser basal branching and more consistent berry production without the need for a male pollinator nearby, which simplifies specification in continuous rows and massed framing plantings.

The mature size is between 4 and 6 m in height by 2 to 4 m in width, in a compact pyramidal silhouette of moderate growth. The foliage is glossy dark green, ovate, with slightly spiny margins, forming a dense mass of foliage that provides a full visual screen from the first years after planting. The abundant red berries set in late autumn and persist through the winter, making them a specification criterion in projects that require winter colour interest.

Its soil tolerance is broad: it adapts to acidic, alkaline, sandy and clay soils, as long as they are well drained, a condition that must be secured in a tree pit and on a bank at risk of waterlogging. It accepts full exposure to partial shade and tolerates urban pollution and moderate salt spray well, which justifies its use in street planting and in projects on the Atlantic and Algarve coastal fringe. It withstands minimum temperatures close to -15 °C, covering mainland Portugal without reservation.

The root system is not aggressive towards paving, which makes it compatible with tree pits of standard size in street planting. It performs without significant plant-health incidents in Portuguese conditions, doing without the treatment schedules required by Buxus sempervirens under pressure from Cydalima perspectalis, a context in which it increasingly features as a structural substitute in formal hedges. Formative pruning is well tolerated, including late interventions, without loss of density or compromise to the following fruiting.