Expert's choice Variegated hollies

When it comes to sex, holly names are confusing, but get it right and you'll get berries galore,

- says Graham Rice

There are many things about plant names that test our patience or that are just plain baffling. Take hollies. Now, most of us remember that hollies come as male plants and female plants, and that the female hollies need pollen from a male to develop berries. That's the easy part. So, down at the garden centre our eye is caught by a holly with dark-green leaves edged in creamy white. We check the label, ‘Silver Queen’ — just the thing - and we look forward to all the Christmas berries among that variegated foliage.