'Convexa' Dwarf Box-Leaf Holly Hedging

Ilex crenata Convexa, Japanese Box-Leaf Holly Hedging: The Best Alternative to Box (Buxus)

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Japanese Holly is going through a resurgence in popularity as box blight cuts through swathes of once-immaculate formal box hedging. It does not look like an English holly plant at all: not a prickle in sight, with glossy, tiny rounded leaves that can be clipped to a razor edge. Overall, it grows and looks like Box, but without the vulnerability to blight.
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It grows very slowly, so you can keep it at a manageable height and well-manicured with little effort. New growth is slightly lighter for about two months and gives the plant a lovely Ready Brek glow. The female plant carries black berries. 

Growing Japanese Holly 

It will grow in sun or shade and happily establishes in all types of soil. It is far tougher and hardier than box. Where box blight has got a grip, this could well be the solution, being slow growing, easy to clip and immune. As such, it can be used to re-create knot gardens, to delineate borders or paths or to mark out parterres. It can be cut to crisp lines and tortuous shapes: cones, spirals and spheres are all possible. Small gardens that need winter definition will benefit from an injection of Japanese holly, whether clipped or allowed to grow naturally.

Dwarf spring bulbs like the tiny February Gold daffodil or dwarf Pinocchio tulip, grown underneath, contrast well in spring.

Japanese holly is not a demanding plant, but it is best to give it a clip or shape in June and then, for formal topiary or hedges where the lines really matter, give it another tiny trim in August to deal with any stray bits.

Features

• Hedge Size: 30 cm to 1m
• Soil: any
• Use: formal hedging/topiary shapes
• Single row: 3-4 plants per metre
• Colour: dark green
• No prickles at all.
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Japanese holly trivia

Japanese holly grows in Japan at altitudes up to 3,000 feet and new varieties are continuously being discovered. Crenata is one of the most popular and was introduced into the UK in 1864.