Sky Pencil Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil'
The narrow, columnar form, is just right for small areas. Dark green foliage holds its color year round, sporting purple berries in fall. Outstanding for use as vertical accent, near entryways or as a privacy screen. Planted in a large container, it makes an elegant, formal appearance. Evergreen.
| Synonym: | Ilex crenata Sky Sentry™ |
| Botanical Pronunciation: | EYE-leks kre-NAY-tuh |
| Key feature: | Hedge Plant |
| Plant type: | Shrub |
| Garden styles: | Asian/Zen, Contemporary |
| Deciduous/evergreen: | Evergreen |
| Cold hardiness zones: | 5 - 9 |
| Light needs: | Full sun |
| Sunset climate zones: | 3 - 9, 14 - 24 |
| Water Needs: | Needs regular watering - weekly, or more often in extreme heat. |
| Average landscape size: | Moderate growing 6 to 8 ft. tall and 2 to 3 ft. wide. |
| Growth rate: | Moderate |
| Growth habit: | Columnar, Compact, Narrow |
| Special features: | Attracts Birds, Easy Care, Ornamental Berries, Year-round Interest |
| Landscape uses: | Container, Privacy Screen |
| Blooms: | Inconspicuous |
| Foliage color: | Dark Green |
| Item no.: | 4493 |
| Retailers for this plant: |
Care Information
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a tidy, neat appearance, shear annually to shape.
Design Ideas
This columnar holly makes a great vertical accent in narrow spaces. Use in portable pots and boxes for porch, patio and terrace. Try pairs to flank a wall fountain or a sculpture. Use four matched at corners of a simple parterre. Exceptional at front entry to traditional architecture. Plant close together for a windbreak, privacy screen or solid background for an artistic focal point.
Companion Plants
This lovely vertical holly will do famously alongside Roses, Barberry, Peony, and Spiraea. Plant in a container with the colorful blooms and foliage of Stonecrop, Geranium and Creeping Phlox.
History
I. crenata is native to Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan. Sky Pencil is a cultivar found in 1985 in the garden of Dr. Masao Yokoi in Kawaguchi, Japan by Longwood Gardens curator, Rick Darke, and chief horticulturalist, Sylvester March. It was introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.
The narrow, columnar form, is just right for small areas. Dark green foliage holds its color year round, sporting purple berries in fall. Outstanding for use as vertical accent, near entryways or as a privacy screen. Planted in a large container, it makes an elegant, formal appearance. Evergreen.
Care Information
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a tidy, neat appearance, shear annually to shape.
Design Ideas
This columnar holly makes a great vertical accent in narrow spaces. Use in portable pots and boxes for porch, patio and terrace. Try pairs to flank a wall fountain or a sculpture. Use four matched at corners of a simple parterre. Exceptional at front entry to traditional architecture. Plant close together for a windbreak, privacy screen or solid background for an artistic focal point.
Companion Plants
This lovely vertical holly will do famously alongside Roses, Barberry, Peony, and Spiraea. Plant in a container with the colorful blooms and foliage of Stonecrop, Geranium and Creeping Phlox.
History
I. crenata is native to Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan. Sky Pencil is a cultivar found in 1985 in the garden of Dr. Masao Yokoi in Kawaguchi, Japan by Longwood Gardens curator, Rick Darke, and chief horticulturalist, Sylvester March. It was introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.
| Synonym: | Ilex crenata Sky Sentry™ |
| Botanical Pronunciation: | EYE-leks kre-NAY-tuh |
| Key feature: | Hedge Plant |
| Plant type: | Shrub |
| Garden styles: | Asian/Zen, Contemporary |
| Deciduous/evergreen: | Evergreen |
| Cold hardiness zones: | 5 - 9 |
| Light needs: | Full sun |
| Sunset climate zones: | 3 - 9, 14 - 24 |
| Water Needs: | Needs regular watering - weekly, or more often in extreme heat. |
| Average landscape size: | Moderate growing 6 to 8 ft. tall and 2 to 3 ft. wide. |
| Growth rate: | Moderate |
| Growth habit: | Columnar, Compact, Narrow |
| Special features: | Attracts Birds, Easy Care, Ornamental Berries, Year-round Interest |
| Landscape uses: | Container, Privacy Screen |
| Blooms: | Inconspicuous |
| Foliage color: | Dark Green |
| Item no.: | 4493 |
