Patti O Box^® Japanese Holly Ilex crenata

I yearned for classic evergreen shrubs that would greet me at my front door each day. These Japanese Holly were very small when I planted one in each tall urn on either side of my front door three summers ago. Doing a little more research I learned that they grow rather slowly . I regretted not choosing a couple of Green Mountain boxwoods, but I became determined to stick with them. They stretched up six more inches by the end of the second summer. This summer I have watched them spread outward and grow several more inches. With no more than fertilizing each of them in the spring and keeping them evenly moist they have lived happily and healthy in their very respectful urns. They ask for no more than that. I plant two smaller containers of annuals every summer and place them in front of each urn. The Japanese Holly are a lovely foil. But it's in the winter that I appreciate them most, with their abundant tiny shiny green leaves and tiny black berries. When winter has wrapped itself around the deciduous branches of trees and shrubs in the garden and tucked the perennials back under the mulched and pineneedle-covered ground, these hollies are a joy to see. I'm glad I gave them the time needed to become established and have enjoyed watching them stretch out each summer.