Ilex crenata 'FarrowSK6' PATTI O^®

Many people mistake Japanese holly for English box thanks to its small, evergreen leaves. This resemblance was also the main reason why it was chosen to become the hardy substitute for true box which is dying in all Europe as well as in the UK. Japanese holly a versatile, evergreen, and almost maintenance-free plant available in many varieties offering different shapes and sizes.

PATTI O^® is a Japanese holly variety bred by Michael Farrow from Spring Meadow Nursery in 1999. It is a cross between two Japanese hollies – Sky Pencil and an unnamed variety. The result boasts incredibly elegant habit and very small, highly glossy leaves. When mature, they are the darkest green shade ever seen on a Japanese holly but they emerge bright chartreuse which brings freshness to the overall appearance. The name suggests its most important utility: in pots on patios, balconies, and simply any other place where you have no room for a border. No blooms observed. Patent No. PP25852 was granted in 2015 and the plant is promoted by Proven Winners^®.

It naturally forms a dense, narrowly pyramidal, chubby shrub about 1.5m tall and half as wide. Place it as a perfect companion plants among other large-leaved, evergreen or differently coloured plants, or as a small specimen in a perennial border with plants of short or ground-covering habit.

It can be pruned and clipped in almost any way from early spring by end July. Japanese holly is usually trouble-free, tolerates any soil apart from compacted (clay) and boggy, and can withstand summer dry spells once established. However, for best results and leaf colour grow it in medium fertile, moist but well-drained acid soil. Fully hardy to abt. -27°C (USDA zone 5b).

Last update: 29-10-2020