Plant Library

Other Names:  Box-leaved Holly

Description:

Lime-green evergreen foliage brightens the landscape during the winter; tidy, with its compact growth habit, this dwarf shrub is perfect for gardens and even containers

Ornamental Features

Lemon Gem Dwarf Japanese Holly is primarily valued in the garden for its interestingly mounded form. It has attractive chartreuse evergreen foliage which emerges gold in spring. The small glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain chartreuse throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Lemon Gem Dwarf Japanese Holly is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Lemon Gem Dwarf Japanese Holly is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Lemon Gem Dwarf Japanese Holly will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Lemon Gem Dwarf Japanese Holly makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.