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Strongbox® Inkberry holly Ilex glabra

Flower Season
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall
  • Winter
Mature Size
3' 3' 91cm 91cm
Height: 2' - 3'
Spread: 2' - 3'
Height: 61cm - 91cm
Spread: 61cm - 91cm
  • 24 - 36 Inches
    24 - 36 Inches
    24 - 36 Inches
    61cm - 91cm
    61cm - 91cm
    61cm - 91cm

    Features

    Native alternative to boxwood.

    Love boxwood but struggle with disease or winter damage? Plant Strongbox® inkberry holly instead. This native evergreen naturally grows as a broadly rounded mound, and keeps its leaves all the way to the ground for the lush, dense look you love. It can be pruned or shaped as you desire, or left to attain its neat natural shape. It's also much faster growing than boxwood, and offers good deer resistance, too. Available in better garden centers in spring 2019.

    Top reasons to grow Strongbox® inkberry holly:

    • Native to North America.
    • Naturally mounded shape and evergreen.
    • Resistant to disease, pests, and winter burn.
    Foliage Interest
    Winter Interest
    Native to North America

    Characteristics

    Plant Type: 
    Shrub
    Shrub Type: 
    Evergreen
    Height Category: 
    Short
    Garden Height: 
    24 - 36 Inches 61cm - 91cm
    Spacing: 
    24 - 36 Inches 61cm - 91cm
    Spread: 
    24 - 36 Inches 61cm - 91cm
    Flower Colors: 
    White
    Foliage Colors: 
    Green
    Foliage Shade: 
    Green
    Habit: 
    Mounded
    Container Role: 
    Filler

    Plant Needs

    Light Requirement: 
    Part Sun to Sun
    Light Requirement: 
    Sun

    The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).

    Maintenance Category: 
    Easy
    Blooms On: 
    Old Wood
    Bloom Time: 
    Spring
    Hardiness Zones: 
    5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
    Water Category: 
    Average
    Uses: 
    Border Plant
    Uses: 
    Container
    Uses: 
    Edging Plant
    Uses: 
    Landscape
    Uses: 
    Mass Planting
    Uses: 
    Specimen or Focal Point
    Uses Notes: 

    Plant Strongbox inkberry holly anywhere you'd use boxwood - as a hedge, edging, or specimen. Strongbox inkberry holly is a bit broader and less rounded than our other inkberry holly, Gem Box®.

    Maintenance Notes: 

    Little care is needed to enjoy Strongbox inkberry holly in your landscape. It has shallow roots, so a 2-3" layer of mulch is a good idea. If you wish to trim or prune it, do so in mid-late spring, after the new growth has emerged. 

    Strongbox is a female variety and will develop black berries if a compatible male pollinator is planted in the vicinity. 

    Fun Facts: 

    The berries of inkberry holly were used by Civil War soldiers to make ink for their personal correspondance. To get berries on Strongbox inkberry holly, plant a male Squeeze Box holly within 50'/15m.

    Strongbox® Ilex glabra 'ILEXFARROWTRACEY' USPP 30,147, Can 6,516
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