Illustration
Castle Spire Blue Holly
Ilex × meserveae 'Hachfee'
Also called castle spire holly and heckenfee
Castle Spire Blue Holly blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Castle Spire Blue Holly
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–7. Expect it to reach about 8 ft tall and 3.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 5 years (a house reading).
Is Castle Spire Blue 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 Castle Spire Blue Holly
Plant Castle Spire Blue 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 May to June.
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 Castle Spire Blue Holly get?
8 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3.5 ftwideSee Castle Spire Blue 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 Castle Spire Blue Holly
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Castle Spire Blue Holly about 3.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Castle Spire Blue 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
Castle Spire Blue Holly's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 13 published sources on October 14, 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.
- Proven WinnersCastle Spire cultivar pageheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and toxicity
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society, Castle Spire cultivar entryheight, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Ilex x meserveae species page with a Castle Spire culti...height, spread, water, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Plant Addictsqueue store pageheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and water
- Missouri Botanical GardenBroadleaf Evergreens for St. Louis Gardens, Hachfee entryheight, spread, sun and water
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUniversity of Connecticut Plant Database, Ilex x meserveae species pagesun, water and bloom months and color
- springmeadownursery.comSpring Meadow Nursery, Castle Spire cultivar pageheight, spread, hardiness zones and water
- US plant patent (Google Patents)Google Patents HTMLheight, spread, trait tags and diseases
- Internet Archive (archived page)Hachmann Baumschulen, Heckenfee breeder page (official page captured b...height and bloom months and color
- sd8973e5dcdc13bfb.jimcontent.comDr. Burkhard Spellerberg, Bundessortenamt, and Björn Ehsen, Park der G...height, spread and water
- The Morton ArboretumMeserve holly species pagesun, water and soil
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Database, Ilex x meserveae species pagewater, soil and pests
- active.inspection.gc.caCanadian Food Inspection Agency, Hachfee Plant Breeders Rights descrip...trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.