ShrubsJapanese Holly
Ilex crenata
Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) is a slow-growing shrub, hardy in USDA zones 5-8, that matures to about 5-10 ft × 5-8 ft. It does best in full sun and part shade with medium water needs in well-drained, moist and occasionally-wet soil. Expect green and white blooms in spring and summer. It attracts bees and pollinators, stands up well to deer, drought and pests.
- USDA zones
- 5-8
- Sun
- Full sun, Part shade
- Water
- Medium
- Mature size
- 5-10 ft × 5-8 ft
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Medium
- Soil
- Well-drained, Moist, Occasionally-wet
- Bloom color
- Green, White
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Attracts
- Bees, Pollinators
- Tough against
- Deer, Drought, Pests, Pollution
- Native to
- Sakhalin Island, Japan, Korea
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Japanese Holly is hardy to about -20°F (estimated from USDA zone 5), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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