Japanese holly
Ilex crenata
USDA zones5 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size5 to 10 feet tall5 to 8 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Dense
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) is an evergreen shrub for hedges, foundation plantings, borders, and containers. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to wet soil of most types. Its dense, slow growing habit makes it easy to shape, and bees visit the white spring flowers. Deer tend to pass it by. It is drought tolerant once settled in.
Pairs well with Limelight hydrangea, Little bluestem, and Queen of Night tulip.
Native range
Sakhalin Island, Japan, and Korea.