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Shrub · Aquifoliaceae Draft — unreviewed

Inkberry

Ilex glabra (L.) A.Gray

Also called inkberry.

Native evergreen holly with small spineless leaves, used as a boxwood substitute for hedges and foundations. Tolerates wet, acidic soils.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 ft) tall and 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 ft) wide; medium growth, about 6 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #3 install size.

012mPlanting0.5 × 0.5 mYear 31.3 × 1.2 mYear 101.8 × 1.8 mMature1.9 × 1.9 m

Design notes

  • The species becomes open at the base with age; compact cultivars (e.g. 'Shamrock', 'Gem Box') stay dense.
  • Suckers to form colonies — useful for massing, a nuisance in tight beds.

Regions

Native range: Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain from Nova Scotia to Florida and Louisiana.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

NortheastSoutheast

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

Winterberry
Ilex verticillata · Shrub · 1.8–3 m (6–10 ft)
Yaupon holly
Ilex vomitoria · Shrub · 4–6 m (13–20 ft)
Nellie R. Stevens holly
Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens' · Shrub · 4.5–7.5 m (15–25 ft)
Japanese holly
Ilex crenata · Shrub · 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft)
American holly
Ilex opaca · Tree · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Black chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa · Shrub · 0.9–1.8 m (3–6 ft)

Plan with Inkberry

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden