Thanks for the information. With so many holly varieties, I thought it might be possible that one suitable for bonsai could escape the common list of bonsai-ables - but that seems to be wishful thinking. I have actually taken some ilex opaca from the ground, and in trimming them, sought to use the scraps as cuttings. The thought was more about not being wasteful, and trying something new in the process. You answered my main concern - that they will bud back. Generally speaking then, will those species that are technically coniferous but have a composition more like that of deciduous trees (such as the holly) behave closer to deciduous than not (with respect to back budding and cuttings)? This information would help me interpret which species to apply which techniques. Thanks!

Here are some pictures of my bigger Hollies from March of last year. I think opinions were split between Ilex cornuta but leaning towards Nellie Stevens. Sam said"Your female holly is blooming now and has green stems, it has no I. opaca blood in it. Try searching your state's botanical garden website and compare to Nellie Stevens. NS is self-fruiting, did your tree bloom last year, did it make fruit? If not you may have one of several cornuta hybrids."

Spruce, Hi again. Good to see you! Would love to visit but it's going to be a busy spring and summer...plan to plant even more BLEs than I did last spring. I have roughly 200 things in pots and really need to start moving some out into the garden...this will mean lots of watering and aftercare for the first year. Maybe in the fall if we have a good growing season. (and alas, more incoming...though I tried to stop myself. What Rhododendron collector could resist trying this: Korbel | Singing Tree Gardens Nursery Even though it looks rot susceptible. I'll give it the mound of sand treatment that so far, has kept Barlup's 'Wild Ginger' alive. Something about the combination of shape and glossiness looks a little suspicious on 'Satyr Hill'. It's especially 'incriminating' that it was found near McLean LOL. OTOH, as I stated, Eurasian X North American crosses are hard to produce, very unlikely to occur naturally, and I'm not aware of any ever having been deliberately grown at McLean. (Mr. Kuhl and I briefly discussed the topic, when I told him about the Foster X Highclere at Rutgers) As you point out, there is a lot of variation in Ilex opaca. So, who knows. Maybe just a lucky variation. Was looking at the wild opaca in the woods near my house today, and noticed a few burnt leaves, even on those! They perhaps have a more hard scrabbled life than the large opaca planted in my garden, most (3 out of 4) of which I plan to eventually remove. No visible damage on those.

...I figure if the male doesn't have berries it should have some quality to earn it's keep...