Soft Touch Japanese holly
Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch'
USDA zones5 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size2 to 3 feet tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Dense
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Soft Touch' Japanese holly (Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch') is a shrub for borders, hedges, foundation plantings, and winter interest. 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, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Deer tend to browse other plants first. This dense evergreen grows slowly, so it keeps a tidy shape with little trimming. Bees visit its spring blooms.
Pairs well with Chokeberry, Karl Foerster feather reed grass, Coral Charm peony, and Queen of Night tulip.