PlantFiles: Japanese Holly, Boxleaf Holly, Box-leaved Holly
Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch'

we planted 10 of these last fall, and the ones that did well (6 of them) really look great. 2 of them had severe dieback (almost half the plant) over the winter, and had to be replaced. 2 others had enough dieback to warrant possible replacement--rather than wait for the new growth to fill in the dead areas.

This shrub is popular in Memphis as a foundation and walkway border plant, and is used similarly to the Helleri cultivar. It stays low enough to not require heavy pruning under most windows and naturally has a nice, dense rounded shape. Mature specimens tend to be around 2.5 feet tall x 3 feet wide and take clipping well. Leaves are medium-dark green and glossy, with new spring growth a brighter lime green. It's supposed to have blackish berries on the female plants in the fall but I haven't noticed those yet on my plants. I pulled some overgrown azaleas out from our front beds and put in these hollies because this variety lives up to its name. The branches are flexible and the leaves are soft without barbs. It's very comfortable to weed around them in a flower bed. I've read on other sites that it's hardy to zones 5-6 but I can only vouch for the climate here, which is zone 7. I used to live in zone 5/6 St. Louis (300 miles up the Mississippi River) and never saw these shrubs there. I suspect this holly is more Southern than Midwestern.