Proven Winners® Mr. Poppins® Holly Shrub

Space-Saving Male Variety of Winterberry Holly

The Proven Winners® Mr. Poppins® Holly shrub is a dwarf variety of winterberry holly. Mr. Poppins® boasts tiny white blossoms throughout spring and summer with bright green foliage for visual interest. With a compact height of only 3-4 feet, it's perfect to use as a hedge or native garden.

All winterberry hollies have male and female varieties; this male shrub does not produce the traditional showy red fruit of female hollies, but serves its purpose to pollinate female varieties which produce the iconic berry. Male and female plants must be present in order for the females to produce fruit. Simply tuck the less showy Mr. Poppins within 50 feet of female varieties Like Berry Heavy® or Berry Poppins®, and it will attract pollinators like bees and butterflies to ensure fruit. Only one Mr. Poppins® is needed for up to 5 female hollies.

Mr. Poppins® is deer-resistant but attractive to birds and other wildlife that enjoy its fruit - this shrub is perfect for a pollinator or wildlife garden. With its space-saving size, beautiful white blooms, and utility as a pollinator for female hollies, the Mr. Poppins® winterberry holly is the perfect addition to your landscape. Grow yours today!

About Proven Winners®: Proven Winners® ColorChoice Shrubs offers flowering shrubs, evergreens, and trees that have been tested for eight to ten years to ensure they outperform conventional varieties. That means bigger flowers, more colorful foliage, reblooming, disease resistance, new habits, or anything that makes them more beautiful and easier to grow in your landscape or garden.

Planting & Care

1. Planting:  Plant your Mr. Poppins® Winterberry Holly in an area of moist but well-drained soil that gets full-partial (4-6 hours) sunlight each day. Plant within 50 feet of female holly varieties like the Berry Heavy®, Berry Poppins®, or an other Proven Winners® winterberry variety to ensure pollination and fruit from the female plants.

2. Watering: The Mr. Poppins® Holly Shrub has average watering needs, and mature plants can even take some dryness in the soil. Water when the soil is dry 1-2" down.

3. Fertilizing: Little fertilizing is needed. If desired, fertilize in early spring with a granular rose fertilizer. A second application may be made in late spring/early summer.

4. Pruning: Since the Mr. Poppins® does not produce berries, it can be pruned immediately after blooming if desired. However, it's best to avoid pruning them altogether except to remove any dead wood. Once mature, remove one or two of the oldest stems each year to encourage new and vigorous growth.

5. Pollination: Mr. Poppins® does not produce fruit but must be placed within 50 feet of female holly varieties in order for them to be pollinated.