The Beauty of Holly Without the Bite

This dense, soft-textured evergreen has a nice, dome-shaped form that looks lovely as a low foundation shrub or hedge.

Its dark green foliage appears glossy in the sunlight with bits of yellow throughout. The Soft Touch Holly bares black berries in the winter months and tiny flowers in the spring for added interest. It spreads moderately and has a low mounding habit growing up to 3 feet tall and wide.

Soft Touch Holly is useful in accentuating your landscape along woodland borders, adding interest to your containers or planters, or turning your entryway into a place of calm. Plant alongside ornamental grasses, Barberries, and Japanese Maples to add a peaceful Zen look to your landscape.

To keep your Soft Touch Holly healthy, you should plant it in sunny areas and be careful not to let it get too dry. This holly does not require any pruning, but if you want to give it the perfect globe-like shape, you can prune in the spring.

Planting and Care

1. Planting: First, select a location with well-drained soil and full to partial sunlight (about 4 to 8 hours of sun per day).

Then, dig a hole twice the diameter of the root ball and just as deep. Moisten the hole with water, place the plant’s roots into the hole, back full and tamp the soil firmly down around the roots to remove any air pockets.

2. Watering: Keep the plant moist for the first year of growth to help the plant establish roots. Generally, you should water the plant at least once per week, especially during periods of drought for optimum growth. After the first year, you should only need to water in times of extended drought.

3. Fertilizing: Fertilize the Soft Touch Holly in the early spring or fall using a general purpose fertilizer. Follow the instructions on the fertilizer’s label for ratio requirements.

4. Pruning: Prune your shrub in fall or winter, and remove any broken or dead branches. The Soft Touch spreads through root suckers, so to control growth, the suckers should be pruned.