Holly Sky Pencil #7

Sky Pencil Holly……ilex crenata

Common Name: Sky Pencil

The Holly Sky pencil is known for its vertical accents and that they are a very important part of any good garden design or layout. It is easy to put in a big collection of interesting shrubs, and then find that it doesn’t look interesting at all because the eye just wanders over it without focus. The secret is to add some strong accents, which hold your attention and make you linger. One common way of doing this is by adding upright plants and then clipping them to shape and size. But of course that is time-consuming, and who wants to be clipping, when you can be relaxing?

For low-maintenance gardening, choose plants that are naturally upright and narrow in form – it’s a great time saver. For today’s smaller gardens, you want plants that won’t outgrow their welcome, and the Sky Pencil Holly certain fits that description. It is compact, but big enough to make a real statement as an accent plant.

Accents can be informal, placed with rhythm through your beds, or formal, measured exactly at the corners of a square or rectangle, or in the center of a circle. It doesn’t matter if your garden is formal or informal in style, Sky Pencil Holly is the perfect accent plant in every kind of garden. With its origins in Japan, it is the perfect choice for an Asian-themed garden too.

Using the Sky Pencil Holly as a Privacy Screen

Another big issue for many gardens is the need for privacy. The usual solution is a row of privacy or hedging plants, like Thuja Green Giant, or Skip Laurel. However, there are lots of spaces in today’s gardens where these plants grow too tall and wide, and where you need something slim. Often down the side of a house there is a narrow space between the house and the property line – sometimes just a few feet wide. You still need to be able to walk down this space, yet there are windows looking out that face straight at your neighbors’ home.

The solution is a hedge that is no more than two feet wide, but tall enough to screen those windows. Sky Pencil Holly fits that description perfectly. It never grows more than 2 to 3 feet wide, yet it will reach 10 feet tall, which is more than enough to screen your ground-floor windows. These kinds of places are often shady too, and again this lovely, slim holly will work well in a shady location. If you need a narrow hedge like this, but in very hot, dry areas, we also recommend the Italian Cypress as the perfect slender tree for harsh locations.

Planting Location

In full sun, or moderate shade, this holly bush will be equally happy. Its tough leaves won’t burn in the sun, and this is a plant that also thrives in partial shade. Whatever the conditions, unless this is a very dark corner, you are sure of success. When checking the shade of your site, look up. Can you see the sky, without many tree branches blocking it? If you answer yes to this simple question, then even without any direct sun, holly bushes will thrive. This is because the sky reflects high quality light down onto your plants, which they love, and they will not need direct sun at all in such a location.

Hardiness

Sky Pencil Holly is the perfect choice if you live in zones 6 to 8. That covers minimum winter temperatures down to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a sheltered location and live in zone 5, where temperatures can get to minus 20, then you may see some browning of the leaves in winter. However, you will soon see fresh new growth in spring and your tree should be just fine – you can still enjoy its slender beauty.

At the other extreme, if you are in zone 9, then a shaded spot, with sufficient water at the roots, but not sprayed daily on the leaves, makes this plant a worthwhile choice. In between, you will never have a cold or heat related problem with this great plant.

Soil Type

If you have ordinary garden soil of any kind, then Japanese Holly will be happy to move in to your garden. It thrives in normal garden conditions, no matter if your soil is sand, loam or clay. It does best in slightly acidic soil, but that is common throughout the east, and even slightly alkaline soil is perfectly fine for this tree. The soil should not be constantly flooded, as they do need some drainage for the best growth.

Watering

Like every plant new to your garden, your newly-planted hollies will need some regular watering, but once they are established they will not need much attention. If the soil becomes very dry, then a good soaking will keep them happy for a few more weeks. Beyond the hot weeks of mid-summer, normal rain in the other months should be all they need.

Pests and Diseases

Here is another plus for the Sky Pencil Holly – it has no serious pests or diseases – especially if you keep it properly fertilized and water it from time to time. In hot areas, mulching and regular watering are important for healthy growth.