Ilex aquifolium Ferox Argentea (Silver Hedgehog Holly)

A variegated selection of English holly, this evergreen shrub is cultivated for its distinctive foliage. Purple young stems carry small, dark green leaves broadly edged in creamy white. The leaves bear spines on their upper surfaces as well as along the margins. Small white male flowers appear in late spring. The cultivar does not produce berries. It develops into a large, bushy shrub. It can be propagated by cuttings and has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Photographed in Florida.