I want to use ilex in my Christmas arrangements Is this the variety I need ? I will buy a boy and a girl Do I then remove the leaves and just leave the berries or will the leaves fall off on their own after I cut the branches ? Thx

Welcome Karin! I have an unidentified holly in my yard that produces berries year round. Very prickly. I just poke it into arrangements and my Xmas tree willy nilly. The leaves hold for a long time without any water. Good luck with your project.

Any evergreen holly will do nicely, but to get berries, you will need boy and girl plants. If you live in zone 5 or colder, you will need to choose your holly variety carefully, as most will not survive those cold winters. Blue Maid is a good female holly and is one of the most cold hardy. Use a male holly that is recommended as its pollinator, since all boy hollies are not necessarily good pollinators for every girl holly. When cut, the leaves will stay on unless you take them off, so it is your choice.