Holly obsession stopped in its tracks

I've got a good balance of male to female hollies, I think (I have a few already). But I think they're all quite young, so no berries yet. I might have to invest in a couple of mature ones, and get the others as seedlings to ease my impatience.
I fell in love with a mature Bacciflava I saw in a garden centre a week or so ago, but it was really expensive.
I love hollies all year round, I think they're beautiful without berries, too, and I wanted a nice variety of different leaves. It's just that some berries would be nice, too... might go with one or two berried plants if I can find them locally, and then get the others as young plants.

 

"Alaska" can fruit much earlier than the others but Armandii is correct as always with the majority of them

 

That's good to know about Alaska, thank you.
I've ordered Pyramidalis and Argentea Marginata, both young plants from the same seller. With a self-fertile and a female (plus a couple of males I have already), I should get berries from those... eventually.
I haven't bought the others yet, but I might get an Alaska instead of the Meserveae Blue Angel on my list, which may speed up the berries a bit. I'm desperate for a fruiting Bacciflava (but cheaper than the one I saw recently) so I'm keeping my eyes out for that locally, and I'll just have to wait for the Elegantissima and hope it's in stock later in the year. By then, with luck, anything else I've not yet managed to source might also be available to purchase.
So my holly obsession is still on track.

 

Pendula?

Saw at lovely one at Westonbirt, also known as "Perry's Weeping Silver" or something like that

 

I have I think 6/7 varieties Alaska , Madame Briot , Marginata , Blue angel , Blue prince , Blue Princess , Bacciflava , all about 10 years old, Alaska about 4 now , but its Alaska and Bacciflava that have the most berries and Bacciflava because they are yellow berries stay on the longest as the birds don't think they are ripe to eat. Madame Briot about 10 feet high and not one berry yet !!!!

as you can see I had a thing as well at one point , most of mine are half standards and I have two standards , great for giving structure through the winter.

But they are slow growing and take a good year or two to settle in , but once established easy shrubs to look after .

Spruce

 

It has legs!
It's a thing of beauty for sure, but probably a bit big for my garden (I know they can all grow large, but hopefully I can tame the ones I've chosen before they take over).

Spruce, that sounds like a good selection. I'm not necessarily expecting berries from all of the potentially fruiting plants, so I wanted a selection that would hopefully produce some berries, even if I don't get them from all the plants. Sounds like I may have to wait a few years, though! Your confirmation that the Bacciflava gives lots of lovely yellow berries entirely justifies me buying a mature one of those, I feel. I haven't found one yet, but that is my mission! I'm awaiting delivery of the two I've just ordered to keep me going. I'm hoping to find a nice Bacciflava while they still have berries, and my long term mission is to source the others at a reasonable price.
I'll take pics of them when they're all safely in my garden.

 

Any chance it might be Aureo Marginata (male) instead?

 

I kept the label unless its been labeled wrong ? still looks nice though , good straight stem well branched , also never seen any flowers even if its a male.

Blue prince (male) is the best pollinator smoothed in flowers every spring

 

I'm just thinking that they look the same - unscrupulous seller (or Cock Up) could mean that they were labelled wrongly. Hopefully not

 

B&Q, I will have a look at a leaf and compare to what you suggested it may be

 

I don't think you can tell them apart, can you? i.e. identical except whether they are Male / Female. Mine you, I've never tried to compare them, just know that when I have been buying there have been options of Male / Female equivalent varieties (and frequently the names don't match the gender e.g. Silver Queen - Male and Golden King - female - go figure!)

 

well you live and learn I didn't realise you could get both male & female with Briot you are probably right its a male !!!! just had snoop about on google

 

I hope that isn't the case, given it was labelled as Briot (as I think that that IS the name for the Female version, only) ... but ... if someone had a batch of non-fruiting plants then maybe they would shift them cheap and a Shed would buy them cheap too ... time will tell I suppose.