Compacta Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata ‘Compacta’ · a rounded Japanese holly
A dense, rounded Japanese holly with tiny glossy leaves, a classic boxwood stand-in for foundation beds, low hedges and massing that takes heavy pruning. It wants acid soil that stays moist but drains well, and dislikes drought; hot, dry spots bring spider mites.
- Mature size
- 5.5 × 6 ft
- 1.8 × 1.8 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 6a–8b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Medium to moist
- Blooms
- May–Jun
Compacta Japanese Holly at its mature size
A mature Compacta Japanese Holly grows 5 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Drawn as Soft Touch Japanese Holly, sized as Compacta Japanese Holly.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, farmerships.meadowsfarms.com.
Growing Compacta Japanese Holly
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Southeast, and the Pacific Northwest.
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Good for
- Hedge and foundation planting
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Native to
- Japan and Korea
Spacing for a hedge
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Compacta Japanese Holly, that’s about 6 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Compacta Japanese Holly in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.
Other hollies
Compacta Japanese Holly
Dwarf Burford Holly
Castle Wall Holly
Steeds Japanese HollyAll drawn to the same scale.