Sky Pencil Holly: Growing and Caring Guide

If you are excited to add some ornamental plants in your garden, consider planting Sky Pencil Holly plant.  In this post, we will provide you with a proper guide to grow and care for it.  So, let’s dive in.

About Sky Pencil Holly Plant

The Sky Pencil Holly is the most vibrant evergreen columnar shrub that is known for its narrow, upward growth and dark green foliage. This plant can grow up to 8 ft tall and 2ft wide making it perfect for adding vertical interest to your landscape.  The plant is relatively low maintenance, still, you need to take proper care for it to thrive in full growth.

This gives small, greenish flowers and its female version gives tiny, blackberries that make it an ornamental plant to grow in your garden. The plant is best known for its unique columnar growth that adds some vibrance to your garden.

This special Japanese holly plant can be grown in containers allowing you to prune its widths and height and create an architectural plant to welcome your guest at the entry of your house.

Sky Pencil Holly: An Overview

Let’s have  a look at  Holly Sky Pencil,  specifications

Sky Pencil Holly: Growing Guide

• Light:   The columnar Pencil Holly can thrive in full to partial sunlight.  Keep the plant where at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight falls on the plant to give it perfect growth and good foliage color.  It is ideal for growing in warmer climates which it give some different shades of leaves.

• Soil:   The plant is adaptable in a wide variety of soils from sandy and rocky to clay soil. It is better grown in well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soil. Before planting it in your home garden, you must check whether the soil has good drainage or not to prevent root rot. 

• Space: This shrub Sky Pencil Holly possesses a narrow, columnar growth that reaches 4-6 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide making it perfect for planting in a pot in any corner of your house. Provide enough space to grow to full maturity. 

• Watering:   The plant requires a moderate amount of water to maintain moisture preventing rotten roots. Initially, it requires enough water, which reduces when grown to its full growth. The plant is drought-tolerant and can thrive even in less water.

• Temperature and Humidity: The growing requirements of Japanese holly include temperate climate conditions because extreme heat and cold temperatures cause it to suffer. The best planting location for your shrub should protect it from wind exposure since winter gusts tend to harm leaves. Japanese holly grows best in locations with medium humidity rates and fails to thrive when exposed to heavy moisture levels. 

• Fertilizer: Use springtime to feed your plant with a slow-release fertilizer at its beginning of new growth period. Correct usage of holy plants requires users to read the instructions on the product label. A mixture of compost applied near the Japanese holly shrub provides added benefits for its healthy development.

Types of Japanese Holly

Japanese holly exists in various plant cultivars which include:

• Ilex crenata 'Dwarf Pagoda’ maintains a low height of approximately two feet while growing into a tightly dense shape.

• The decorative cultivar Ilex crenata 'Golden Gem’ features two toned leaves.

• The plant variety Ilex crenata 'Convexa’ maintains a size of five to six feet and produces numerous black fruits.

• The dwarf Ilex crenata 'Helleri’ cultivar grows slowly up to two to four feet in height while extending its width from three to five feet.

• Ilex crenata 'Lemon Gem' maintains a compact size reaching no more than three feet in height as its springtime yellow leaves turn into lime green in summer.

• When seeking a living fence the Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’ stands out as an excellent option since its narrow columnar shape grows to heights between six to eight feet.

How to Get Japanese Holly to Bloom

The springtime white flowers of Japanese holly are small, unimpressive and odorless yet these blooms appear inconsistently. During summertime the flowers of Japanese holly evolve into small fruits. Japanese holly requires two to three years of growth until it produces flowers for its maiden bloom. It is important to exercise patience because your plant must be mature enough after being grown from a cutting if it does not bloom.