Shrub · Aquifoliaceae Draft — unreviewed
Japanese holly
Ilex crenata Thunb.
Small-leaved evergreen holly widely used for clipped hedges and foundation shapes. Columnar forms such as 'Sky Pencil' fit narrow spaces.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) tall and 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) wide; slow growth, about 10 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #3 install size.
Design notes
- Black root rot and spider mites appear in poorly drained or hot, dry sites.
- Bird-sown seedlings escape into woodlands in parts of the mid-Atlantic; inkberry is the native alternative.
Regions
Native range: Japan, Korea and eastern China.
Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Nellie R. Stevens holly
Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens' · Shrub · 4.5–7.5 m (15–25 ft)
Inkberry
Ilex glabra · Shrub · 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 ft)
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata · Shrub · 1.8–3 m (6–10 ft)
Yaupon holly
Ilex vomitoria · Shrub · 4–6 m (13–20 ft)
American holly
Ilex opaca · Tree · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Glossy abelia
Abelia × grandiflora · Shrub · 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft)
Plan with Japanese holly
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.