Ilex x Mesereau 'Mesdob/Mesog' | China Twins Holly

Ilex x Mesereau 'Mesdob/Mesog' | China Twins Holly

Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family) Pronounced ackwee-FOH-lee-ay-see-eye

Pronounced Eye-leks   Mes-eh-row

The tag says "A male and female plant are grown along-side each other to insure prolific berry production.  These fast growing selections have a sense, upright, and rounded form. Shiny green foliage sets off the heavy berrys."

This variety has male and female Hollies (China Boy® and China Girl®) growing next to each other. Mesdob is the name for China Boy and Mesog is the name for China Girl. This plant does not really self-pollinate, but in essence only one combination twin is planted for pollination.

This plant is dioecious, meaning that it has separate male and female plants, and only the female plants produce berries, known as drupes. These means that only one side of my twin shrub will have berries unless they have grown merged together. A drupe is a fruit that has flesh surrounding a hard central pit that forms from a flower’s ovary wall.

Birds love the berries.

This plant is an evergreen shrub. It should be pruned in the early Spring before the new growth begins. I often prune it when I prune my rose bushes in January.

The white flowers in the Spring are so tiny that they are inconspicuous on the male plant.

2024

This photo shows there is more than one plant stem in the same location.

2017

2016

2013

2012

This looks like loose dirt around the plant, so I must have planted this in 2012.