'Northern Beauty' may be your best bet.

Thanks, but I just Googled Northern Beauty and the Monrovia site says it has lots of black berries, which makes it female. Sounds like a good holly otherwise.

Claire

Here is a link that might be useful: Ilex crenata Northern Beauty

Perhaps gardengal was thinking of 'Black Beauty'? There is also 'Green Dragon', 'Rotundifolium', and 'Repandens', among many others. The attached link lists many I.crenata cultivars, but indicated only a few that are male. Many on the list are male, but you will need to look them up individually to find out for sure. A 'manly' cultivar name would be a good clue.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check this out

So many choices, so little practical information. I'll be doing a lot of Googling (I love that verb), but my choices will be based primarily on availability and size.

I'm hoping to find a male big enough to flower this year so it will pollinate the two females for berries this fall. That kind of rules out forestfarm's tubes, although I may get a few for the future.

Beehive keeps coming up as a good male and I think I saw one locally last fall. Does anyone have any experience with Beehive? Forestfarm recommends Beehive and Rocky Creek as good pollinators, but they only offer them in the tube size. I've had good experience in general with their tubes, but I wouldn't expect them to bloom this year.

Claire

I don't know what's up with Monrovia - they have been known to make some boners with regards to the accuracy of their plant information - but Dirr and several other sources list 'Northern Beauty' as a male. FWIW, I've never seen one in berry.

gardengal:

Now that's depressing. I'm finding conflicting information about Ilex crenata on many websites, but I figured Monrovia would be reliable.

At least I'm learning that there are some interesting cultivars out there, whatever their gender or state of celibacy may be. I'll probably end up going to a few local reputable nurseries when they wake up, and see what they have and what they say. And then decide whether I believe them or not.

Claire

I just looked at Roslyn Nursery's website and they list some great-sounding Ilex crenata cultivars and state firmly whether they are male or female. The catalog just reeks authority and some of the shrubs are of decent size.

hmmm....

Claire

Here is a link that might be useful: Roslyn Nursery

Some Ilex cultivars occur in both male and female clones. Regarding I. crenata specifically it seems berries are often present in single cultivar plantings. Maybe these actually consist of male and female clones, or there are males of another clone nearby doing the job. At any rate, unlike other holly species gender of Japanese holly cultivars is not mentioned so consistently. This to me also suggests cross-pollination may not be as much an issue with this species.

It worked! I bought a "Green Dragon" (male) and a "Geisha" (female with yellow berries) from Roslyn Nursey. I received them in early spring and planted them right away.

The "Green Dragon" flowered and the old unnamed ilex is forming berries, lots of berries.

Unfortunately, "Green Luster" got battered by the winter winds and lost all of its leaves. I moved it to a sheltered spot, and it's sending out new leaves now. I also wintersowed some of its berries and they're starting to germinate. Anybody know what the seedlings will be like? I have no idea what the male parent was (something in the nursery).

Claire