Thornless Holly: Our Varieties for an Elegant and Accessible Garden

Thornless Holly Varieties for Beautiful Fruiting

Thornless hollies, particularly cultivars from Ilex verticillata and Ilex rotunda, are distinguished by their spectacular fruit-bearing. Their colourful berries, which often persist until the end of winter, add a colourful note throughout autumn and, once December arrives, they evoke festivities and Christmas. These deciduous or evergreen bushes become true ornamental jewels, especially when their naked branches or dense foliage highlight their bright fruits and delight birds in winter.

Among the Ilex verticillata, female varieties such as ‘Magical Daydream’, ‘Oosterwijk’, and ‘Magical Berry Winterberry’ stand out for their ability to produce a profusion of berries. These fruits, in shades from bright red to vibrant orange, remain attached to the naked branches throughout winter, creating a striking spectacle. These bushes are particularly prized in natural gardens or free-form hedges, where their decorative aspect lights up winter landscapes. To ensure abundant fruiting, they should be paired with a male plant such as ‘Southern Gentleman’, a variety known for its late flowering, perfectly synchronised with these female cultivars.

The Ilex rotunda ‘Red Dot’, with its evergreen foliage and bright red fruits, offers another spectacular option. This holly of Far Eastern origin is distinguished by its rapid growth and its ability to produce abundant fruiting in autumn and winter. Ideal for regions with a mild climate, it brings a festive and original touch to flower beds or open spaces.

These fruit-bearing hollies naturally find their place in winter compositions evoking Christmas. Their branches laden with berries can be cut to decorate crowns or floral arrangements, extending their magic into our interiors. They are also perfect for attracting local wildlife, especially birds, who find in their fruits a valuable source of winter nourishment.

The stunning bright berries of whorled hollies during the winter period

Holly Varieties Without Thorns as an Alternative to Boxwood

The varieties of Ilex crenata are positioned as an excellent alternative to boxwood, which is increasingly suffering from diseases and pests such as the box tree moth or decline. These bushes offer dense, evergreen, and non-prickly foliage, strongly reminiscent of boxwood, while being more resistant and easier to grow.

The Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green’ is one of the best candidates to replace boxwood. This variety, with its elegant habit, reaching up to 3 meters in height, features small, glossy, dark green leaves, and excellent disease resistance. It is suitable for all kinds of pruning, whether for classic borders or more complex plant sculptures, such as Niwaki (cloud pruning), typical of Japanese gardens. Its faster growth compared to boxwood allows for quicker structuring of a garden while maintaining a neat aesthetic.

For those looking for more original shapes, the Ilex crenata ‘Fastigiata’ is an excellent option. This crenate holly with a narrow and columnar habit is ideal for pot plantings, vertical borders, or creating hedges that require a slim and graphic silhouette. Its ability to produce black berries on female plants also adds an additional ornamental dimension.

These Ilex crenata bushes are versatile and harmoniously integrate into formal or modern gardens. Their natural resistance, evergreen foliage, and ability to withstand regular pruning make them ideal choices for gardeners looking for a reliable and aesthetic alternative to boxwood.

The foliage of crenate hollies (here ‘Dark Green’)

Hollies without Thorns, Either Evergreen or Deciduous

Thornless varieties come in evergreen or deciduous cultivars, thus offering options suited to different needs and aesthetics in the garden. This choice not only influences the garden’s appearance across the seasons but also how these bushes can be utilised.

Evergreens: A Year-Round Presence

Evergreen hollies, such as Ilex crenata and Ilex glabra, ensure a continuous visual structure, even in the depths of winter. Their dense, glossy leaves bring a timeless elegance, while providing an excellent backdrop to highlight seasonal flowers or fruiting.

Deciduous: Seasonal Transformation

Conversely, deciduous hollies, like Ilex verticillata, offer a unique seasonal interest. In autumn, their foliage changes colour, transitioning through warm, vibrant hues before falling, revealing their branches laden with bright berries. These transformations add a dynamic dimension to the garden, marking the change of seasons.

The Ilex verticillata ‘Magical Daydream’, for instance, provides a striking display with its bright orange berries that persist on its naked branches until the end of winter. Meanwhile, the Ilex verticillata ‘Oosterwijk’ is notable for its vivid red fruits that brighten winter landscapes while attracting birds.

Two Styles, A Complementary Choice

The choice between evergreen and deciduous foliage depends on the role one wishes to assign to these hollies in the garden. Evergreens provide stability and continuity, while deciduous create a visual dynamic and strong seasonal interest. These two types of holly can also be combined to take advantage of their respective qualities: evergreens structure spaces, while deciduous add a touch of colour and originality.

Various Foliage Colours for Thornless Hollies

Many varieties of holly boast dark green, glossy, and dense foliage, which is understated and elegant. For instance, the Ilex crenata ‘Green Hedge’ and ‘Kinme’ feature small, lustrous dark green leaves, ideal for structuring a flowerbed or creating impeccable borders. These varieties, hardy and robust, are an excellent choice for formal or Japanese gardens, where the dark green enhances the sculpted lines and shapes.

To add a bright touch to the garden, some varieties of Ilex crenata stand out with their golden or variegated foliage. ‘Convexed Gold’ is a remarkable variety with its small, bright yellow, convex leaves that remain decorative throughout the year. Its unique texture and density make it an excellent option to replace boxwood while introducing a warm colour note in borders or low hedges.

Meanwhile, Ilex crenata ‘Lingold’ adds an even more refined dimension with its variegated golden-yellow foliage. This variety forms a compact and bright ball, perfect for lighting up shaded areas of the garden or for pot planting. In Japanese gardens, its bright hue contrasts with darker or mineral elements.

Finally, do not forget that whorled Hollies (Ilex verticillata) bring a lot of colour in autumn with their flamboyant hues and that their berries are an important colourful asset in winter.

Ilex crenata ‘Convexed Gold’

Large Bushes and Dwarf Cultivars: Thornless Hollies for Every Space

Thornless hollies offer a great diversity of sizes and habits, catering to a variety of needs.

Bushes or Small Trees

Large varieties, such as Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green’, form slender bushes reaching often 2.5 to 3 meters in height with a spread of 1 to 1.25 meters.

The Ilex rotunda ‘Red Dot’ is an evergreen holly of Far Eastern origin that can reach 3 meters in ten years, with a broad and rounded habit. It is particularly valued for its rapid growth and abundant red fruiting in autumn and winter. This variety is well-suited to spacious gardens where it adds an original and exotic touch. Its mature height can reach 5 m, or even 8 m in open spaces.

Hollies with a Fastigiate Habit: Vertical Elegance

As seen in the first chapter, the Ilex crenata ‘Fastigiata’ is distinguished by its columnar and narrow habit. This crenate holly, reaching 2.5 to 3 meters in height for only 80 cm in spread, resembles miniature yews and is perfectly suited for aligned plantings or in pots. Its slender appearance is ideal for structuring a space without weighing it down, offering a graphic and refined silhouette.

Dwarf Hollies: Compactness and Versatility

For small spaces, borders, or pot plantings, dwarf hollies like Ilex crenata ‘Convexed Gold’ or ‘Lingold‘ are perfect choices, with mature sizes around 80 cm in height by 50 cm wide. The Ilex glabra ‘Gem Box’ forms a small round bush of 1 meter in all directions.

The Ilex verticillata ‘Magical Berry Winterberry‘, with its erect habit and abundant bright red fruiting, is only about 1.50 meters tall, making it perfect for small gardens or low hedges.

The dwarf holly Ilex glabra ‘Gem Box’