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Key characteristics

Family: Aquifoliaceae
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Width: 4 to 6 feet
Flower color: White
Foliage color: Glossy dark green
Bloom time: Spring
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Moderate, prefers well-drained soil
Maintenance: Low
Growing zone: USDA Zones 6 to 8
Wildlife: Birds and pollinators

Shrubs

Ilex crenata 'Compacta'

Compact Japanese Holly

Ilex crenata 'Compacta' is a dense, evergreen shrub known for its small, glossy, dark green leaves that form a neat, rounded shape. This cultivar produces small, inconspicuous white flowers in late spring, which may give way to black or dark purple berries in the fall if pollinated. Its compact size and attractive foliage make it a popular choice for hedges, borders, and foundation plantings.

Native to Japan, Korea, and China, Ilex crenata 'Compacta' is a cultivar of the Japanese holly.

Light

Full sun to partial shade

Water

Moderate, prefers well-drained soil

Bloom time

Spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Borders
Formal Gardens
Pathways & Walkways

Companion plants

Oleaster · Mexican orange blossom · Sneezeweed · Black-eyed Susan · Sea thrift · Common sage

Design tip

Use ‘Compacta’ to introduce year-round structure and definition. Its dense growth, small glossy leaves, and naturally rounded form work especially well where a neat, orderly evergreen presence is desired, whether planted individually or repeated throughout a design.