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Holly ‘Stokes’
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Japanese Holly ‘Stokes’, is a box-leaved holly which can be used to make an excellent formal hedge. This is not the type of holly that you would normally find as a sprig adorning festive puddings! But Ilex crenata is, however, often associated with winter. Indeed, Holly ‘Stokes’ thrives in low temperatures. The plant even produces snow-coloured flowers in the spring, offering a white Easter as a bizarre alternative to the traditional white Christmas. These frosty blooms are succeeded by berries, the black colour of which is reminiscent of long, dark midwinter nights. However, a Box-leaved Holly is for life, not just for Christmas; the plant’s evergreen, shiny foliage offers versatile, year-round interest. The shrub is low-growing, thus suitable for enhancing borders as well as for hedging. Whether trained into a formal boundary or admired as a specimen, this male cultivar deserves a spot in any cottage or woodland garden in every season. Height: 60cm (2′). Spread: 90cm (3′).