Plant Finder

Other Names:  Box-leaved Holly

Brand:  Southern Living

Description:

Valued for its spectacular golden-yellow newer foliage on the upper branches, that stand out against the green foliage below; its low, spreading growth habit makes it perfect for rock gardens or groundcover; can be sheared for a formal appearance

Ornamental Features

Touch of Gold® Japanese Holly is primarily valued in the garden for its ornamental upright and spreading habit of growth. It has attractive gold-variegated dark green foliage with hints of buttery yellow which emerges gold in spring. The small glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Touch of Gold® Japanese Holly is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds and bees to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Touch of Gold® Japanese Holly is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Touch of Gold® Japanese Holly will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Touch of Gold® Japanese Holly makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.