Ilex latifolia 'Alva' Canopy Trees where the arching branches and

where the arching branches and pink brushes draw hummingbirds and bees through the heat of summer

or a pollinator garden

this is not the star anise of the spice rack

Among the wild irises of North America

but the fruit here sets the cultivar apart: large

Ilex latifolia 'Alva' Canopy Trees where the arching branches andIlex latifolia is the holly that stops people in their tracks, an evergreen tree carrying the largest leaves of any holly, glossy, leathery, and up to eight inches long, more like a magnolia or a loquat than the little prickly leaves most gardeners expect. The edges are finely serrated rather than spined, the surface a deep polished green, and on female trees such as 'Alva' tight clusters of small red berries stud the branches through fall and winter.