Soft Touch Japanese Holly

Gorgeous yellow branching and glossy little fine-textured foliage, the Soft Touch Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch') is a broad-leaved evergreen shrub that offers year-round interest. This Japanese Holly is sure to please with its ornamental features and hardy nature!

Unlike many Holly varieties with stiff, pokey leaves, Soft Touch is named for its gentle foliage that is so flexible it veritably invites you to run your hand over its surface. The allure doesn't stop there as each glossy, dark green leaf features a delicate silver midvein that lends a touch of shimmer to this shrub's already vibrant appearance in your landscape.

You may not notice the petite blossoms in spring, but your pollinators will seek them out. Although Soft Touch is grown for its foliage, this female plant may produce some small black fruits if pollinated by a nearby male plant. Then later in the season, you and your local songbirds certainly won't miss the black berries that arrive in fall and persist into the winter months!

Soft Touch Japanese Holly is a dwarf broadleaf evergreen and has a dense rounded nature that is amenable to pruning if desired. Soft Touch is considered a low-maintenance shrub, so you can generally just plant it and forget about it. Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 5 to 9 and grows to a neat and tidy 2-3 feet in height and width.

Planting and Application:

Plant several as a low border along your sidewalk, or use just one as a lovely accent near your perennial bed or patio. The formal and naturally rounded form looks fantastic throughout low-maintenance landscapes, en masse, and in defining rows and groupings to accent any sun garden! The soft foliage is perfect for use along walkways and the driveway so you won't worry about poking or snagging garments.

Your wildlife will appreciate a Soft Touch in your yard for its food and shelter, but you'll love it for its year-round appeal, its evergreen nature and ornamental features a step apart from the average landscape Holly! Plant multiples to ensure pollination and berries.

• Soft, Light Green Leaves & Silvery Margins
• White Flowers & Black Berries on Female Shrubs
• Dwarf, Fine Textured Broad-Leaved Evergreen
• Fast-Growing Year-Round Interest
• Definition, Borders & Edging, Pathways & Specimens

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Highly adaptable, Japanese Holly do best in full sun and these shrubs love slightly acidic moist soil, but it must be well drained. Plant it in well-drained soil for best results in any kind of slightly acidic location and give them 3-4 inches of arborist mulch over the root system retain moisture, and insulate the roots. Best in moderate moisture throughout the growing season and provide a good drink before winter. They'll survive through a moderate drought. Once established, they can even tolerate neglect. The best time for pruning is early spring and you can prune evergreen Holly into to most any shape or form.

• Shines in Full Sun
• Moderate Moisture Needs
• Acidic Well-Drained Soil Types
• Prune Very Early Spring
• Cold Hardier Than Other Varieties

Holly plants are among the most popular choices for ornamental shrubs, and Soft Touch Japanese Holly is another stellar example of a variety with unique and useful features for the homeowner! Try just one this year and you're sure to return for more once you witness firsthand all that this lovely Holly has to offer. Order one today at NatureHills.com!