Illustration
Blue Princess Holly
Ilex × meserveae 'Blue Princess'
Also called blue princess meserve holly
Blue Princess Holly blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Blue Princess Holly
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–7. Expect it to reach about 13 ft tall and 9 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 5 years (a house reading).
Is Blue Princess Holly toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Pet Poison Helpline.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Blue Princess Holly
Plant Blue Princess Holly in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 7, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Blue Princess Holly get?
13 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult9 ftwideSee Blue Princess Holly in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Blue Princess Holly
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Blue Princess Holly about 9 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Blue Princess Holly to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Blue Princess Holly's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 29 published sources on October 10, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenIlex × meserveae BLUE PRINCESS, this clone's own entryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- NC State ExtensionIlex x meserveae, the species; its cultivar list carries a line for 'B...height, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, pests and toxicity
- Plant Addictsthe queue's store page; its SKU 1231000658-pc and its three figures ar...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Purdue ArboretumIlex × meserveae 'Conapry' [sold as Blue Princess®], this clone's own...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, soil and diseases
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society (Ilex × meserveae [Blue Princess] ('Conapr...height, spread, sun, water, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- bcarboretum.orgBoone County Arboretum (Ilex x meserveae, the species page; its taxa l...height, spread, sun, bloom months and color and diseases
- grimmsgardens.comGrimm's Gardens (garden center; Holly Blue Princess)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- nvknurseries.comNVK Nurseries (wholesale grower, Dundas, Ontario, Canada; Ilex x meser...height, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and toxicity
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUniversity of Connecticut Plant Database (Mark H. Brand; Ilex x meserv...height, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- pridescorner.comPrides Corner Farms (wholesale grower; Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princess...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Database (Species: Ilex x meserveae, t...sun, water, soil, diseases and pests
- ask.extension.orgUniversity of Maryland Extension, Home and Garden Information Center (...height, spread, sun and soil
- byf.unl.eduUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, Backyard Farmer (Meserve Holly, Ilex ×...sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- patentimages.storage.googleapis.comUS Plant Patent PP3,675, 'Ilex blue princess plant', Kathleen K. Meser...bloom months and color and trait tags
- plantfacts.osu.eduThe Ohio State University PlantFacts (Ilex x meserveae, the species)sun and bloom months and color
- The Morton ArboretumMeserve holly, Ilex x meserveae, the species; its cultivar list carrie...height, sun and soil
- archive.orgThe Conard-Pyle Co., West Grove, Pa. (this clone's introducer and the...hardiness zones and soil
- lancaster.unl.eduNebraska Extension in Lancaster County, University of Nebraska-Lincoln...sun and water
- umass.eduUMass Amherst Extension, Garden Clippings 2019 Vol. 38:1, Plant of the...height and diseases
- woodyplants.nres.uiuc.eduUniversity of Illinois woody plants database (Gary J. Kling; Ilex x me...height and hardiness zones
- agris.fao.orgFAO AGRIS record of E. Chojnowska (2000), 'Research on cold hardiness...hardiness zones
- archive.lib.msu.eduDouglas Chapman (Horticulturist, Dow Gardens, Midland, Michigan), 'Hol...height
- ask.extension.orgUVM Extension Master Gardener Program, answering Ask Extension questio...pests
- ipm.missouri.eduUniversity of Missouri, MU-IPM Program, Garden Adventures (Meserve Hol...height
- Oregon State UniversityIlex × meserveae, the species; it names a campus planting of Blue Prin...sun
- portal.ct.govThe Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), Valley Laborat...height
- pubs.ext.vt.eduVirginia Cooperative Extension, publication 3010-1482, Evergreen Holli...sun
- University of Illinois ExtensionMeserve Hybrid Holly, Ilex x meserveae, the species; its Cultivars lis...height
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Database (Cultivar: Blue Princess for...height
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
4 more varieties in the Blue Holly group
Same genus, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Across the group, bloom runs from April through June: Blue Prince Holly opens first (April) and Castle Spire Blue Holly is the last to finish (June).
Compare every variety in the Blue Holly group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Maid | White | May | Zones 5–7 | Full sun | 14 ft × 8 ft |
| Blue Prince | White | Apr–May | Zones 4–7 | Full sun | 10 ft × 10 ft |
| Blue Princessthis page | White | Apr–May | Zones 5–7 | Full sun | 13 ft × 9 ft |
| Castle Spire Blue | White | May–Jun | Zones 5–7 | Full sun | 8 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Castle Wall Blue | White | Apr–May | Zones 5–7 | Full sun | 7 ft × 4 ft |
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.