Question about shamrock inberry

[castleview]

Hi,

This may be a stupid question, but does anyone know anything about shamrock inkberries? I picked one up the other day...do I need two for them to bloom (the way other hollies do)? I'm knew to shrubs if you can't tell!

 

[Kahana-ri]

Sorry-I don't know what Shamrock Inkberries are? Now I am curious myself. I do have a prince and princess' holly bushes. If its a family member of the holly bush, you may be right about them needing to be in pairs to bloom. Do you have a picture?

 

[UrsulasShadow]

It's Ilex glabra 'Shamrock', so a different sort of holly altogether. You don't need a male and female for them to bloom, so you're safe...you'll still get the little black berries (the flowers on these are pretty insignificant).

You want to keep them somewhat moist, as they like swamplands, but are adaptable to good garden soil. You will find that this species will sometimes sucker (break new growth from underground runners), so in time you may end up with a hedge of them. This is not a bad thing, as this variety is very pretty, glossy, and dense, with only a little leaf drop at the bottom.