Compact native holly
Ilex aquifolium 'Myrtifolia'
Compact native holly is a shrub for structure, suited to full sun to partial shade and clay, loam, sandy soil or chalk, flowering May, Jun.
| Type | Shrub |
|---|---|
| Mature height | 180 cm |
| Spread | 100 cm |
| Aspect | full sun to partial shade |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Hardiness | USDA 6a-9b, RHS H6 |
| Pollinator-friendly | Yes |
| Pet-safe | No |
Where to use it in a border
At around 180 cm, it sits best toward the back of a border, or on its own as a focal point with room around it. Give it about 100 cm of room to spread. It is hardy across USDA zones 6a to 9b and rated H6 by the RHS, so check it suits your area before planting.
It appears in our lists of full sun, shade, clay soil, sandy soil, chalk soil, evergreen plants.
Border Builder uses Compact native holly's height, spread, soil, bloom months and companions to place it in a full border plan for your own conditions, on iPhone and iPad.
Flowering through the year
Worth knowing
- Evergreen, so it keeps the border furnished through winter.
- It tolerates a shaded, north-facing spot.
- Not recorded as pet-safe; site it away from pets that graze if that matters to you.
- Its flowers are valued by bees and other pollinators.
Good companions
Plants that share its conditions and style, chosen to complement its place in the border:
- Bugleto edge in front
- Stinking helleboreto edge in front
- Glaucous sedgeto edge in front
- Allegheny Spurgeto edge in front
- American Witch Hazelfor height behind it
- Anise/Blue Sageto flower when it does not