Associating Hollies

In a mixed screening hedge

With their evergreen foliage in various shades, from green to variegated and golden, as well as their decorative berries, hollies offer a wide palette for creating a hedge. Whether used as a screen or a divider, whether free or trimmed, anything is possible with hollies, as they are dense, resilient, and vigorous bushes that grow slowly and live for a very long time.

To create a decorative mixed hedge, you can combine different foliage colours—green, red, and variegated—or use shades of the same hue. For a hedge featuring red, green, and white, pair a common holly Ilex aquifolium ‘Alaska’ with dark green foliage, alongside a variegated holly Ilex aquifolium ‘Silver Queen’ and a shrub whose foliage or trunk turns red in autumn, such as Photinia fraseri ‘Dicker Toni’ or the stunning dogwood.

Ilex aquifolium ‘Alaska’, Ilex aquifolium ‘Silver Queen’, Photinia fraseri ‘Dicker Toni’ and Cornus sanguinea

In a grove of decorative berry bushes

Also consider taking advantage of the colourful decorative berries of hollies, ranging from red to yellow and black. To successfully achieve this combination, pay attention to the fact that most hollies are dioecious and only produce fruit if a male and a female plant are planted together.

Plant a pair of Ilex verticillata male and female, one of the few deciduous hollies, which is valued for its abundance of red berries in autumn and winter. Add a symphorine ‘Mother of Pearl’, which provides a bright touch with its pearly pink-white berries appearing from autumn to winter. Complete with a variegated holly – Ilex aquifolium ‘Argenteomarginata’ with green and cream-white foliage. You can also add a Callicarpa bodinieri‘Profusion’ for the intense purple of its lovely berries clustered in small bouquets. This will create an attractive grove of decorative fruiting bushes.

Ilex verticillata, symphorine ‘Mother of Pearl’, Ilex aquifolium ‘Argenteomarginata’ and Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’

In a bed of deciduous bushes

In a border, holly can be used as a structural ornamental backdrop. With its evergreen foliage, it creates a lush green setting that lasts throughout the seasons and compensates for the bare branches of deciduous bushes during the cold seasons.
Place, next to a Japanese spiraea – Spiraea nipponica ‘Snowmound’ with its abundant white flowering from April to May, the glossy green of the holly Ilex x meservae ‘Heckenfee’ with its lovely pyramidal habit. You can also pair this holly with a Deutzia crenata ‘Pride of Rochester’ with its attractive arching stems covered in double white flowers in May and June.

Another idea for pairing holly with deciduous shrubs is to plant next to a chestnut-leaved holly – Ilex koehneana ‘Castaenifolia’, decorative shrubs that lose their leaves in winter, such as the smoke tree or Cotinus ‘Dusky Maiden’ with its purple foliage, as well as a Hamamelis intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ with its lovely yellow flowers, which bloom in winter. In the foreground of the border, you can add woodland daffodils – Narcissus pseudonarcissus to echo the yellow of the Hamamelis or even purple-leaved heucheras like Heuchera ‘Forever Red’, reflecting the colour of the smoke tree.

Ilex koehneana ‘Castaenifolia’, Cotinus ‘Dusky Maiden’ and Hamamelis intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’

In a bright variegated bed of green and white

The combination of green and white creates an elegant bed blending the variegated foliage of bushes with the whiteness of flowers. Consider a variegated holly – Ilex aquifolium ‘Argenteomarginata’, with its glossy green foliage variegated with cream white. Add bushes or flowers in the same colours, such as delicate snowdrops Galanthus nivalis and lovely Christmas roses or Hellebores niger. Complete with Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’ with variegated foliage and a variegated dogwood with alternate leaves or Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentea’. The harmony and brightness of this bed should delight you in both summer and winter.

Ilex aquifolium ‘Argenteomarginata’, Galanthus nivalis, Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentea’, Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’ and Helleborus niger

In topiary or in a French garden

With its thornless leaves, Japanese holly – Ilex crenata is the species that most closely resembles boxwood. It is easy to prune, making it a suitable alternative to boxwood, which is often diseased. It can be shaped into topiary, with forms ranging from spheres to pyramids, as well as low hedges or borders.

To create a small French flower bed, you can plant crenate hollies – Ilex crenata ‘Green Lustre’ with its glossy dark green foliage, which you will trim to create low borders framing a square of soil. Inside, plant colourful bulb plants such as botanical tulips praestans ‘Fusilier’ in red, complemented by forget-me-nots or wallflowers.

For a more rustic style, fill the bed with airy cosmos, such as Cosmos ‘Sonata Rose’, Aster alpinus ‘Goliath’, and dwarf Buenos Aires verbena.
If you prefer a lighter colour for the borders, you can also use the golden foliage offered by Ilex crenata ‘Golden Gem’.

Ilex crenata ‘Green Lustre’, Cosmos ‘Sonata Rose’, botanical tulips praestans ‘Fusilier’, Aster alpinus ‘Goliath’, and dwarf Buenos Aires verbenas

In a Japanese-style garden

Holly is well-suited to pruning, making it an ideal plant to enhance a Japanese garden. Choose a Ilex crenata ‘Green Hedge’ to shape into spirals or clouds (Niwaki). For a vibrant touch in autumn, add red-leaved Japanese maples like Acer palmatum ‘Emerald Lace’ with its graceful habit and feathery foliage or Acer palmatum ‘Redwine’ with more classic-shaped leaves. Complete with one or two white camellias like Classic Camellia – Camellia Dahlonega or red ones like Camellia ‘Bob’s Tinsie’ – Camellia japonica.

Also consider the beauty of azaleas such as Japanese azalea ‘Rosa King’ and Japanese andromeda like Pieris japonica ‘Forest Flame’. Fill in with bamboo, Japanese anemones, and heathers to create a lush garden.

Ilex crenata ‘Green Hedge’, Japanese azalea ‘Rosa King’, Acer palmatum ‘Emerald Lace’, Camellia Dahlonega, and Pieris japonica ‘Forest Flame’

In a bird refugium hedge

Birds love to take refuge in hedges made up of thorny bushes with dense branching that produce small fruits they can feed on. Holly is therefore ideal for creating a defensive hedge for our feathered friends. Alongside common holly, you can plant other thorny and berry-producing bushes that share the same qualities, such as blackthorn, hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna, rowan – Sorbus aucuparia, and viburnum – Viburnum opulus. This space will provide a lovely spectacle, punctuated by the flights of great tits, blackbirds, and sparrows.

If you wish to give a boost to local wildlife, you can also take advantage of the highly melliferous quality of holly flowers. They appear in May and June, are insignificant, but are greatly appreciated by pollinating insects. Feel free to add different species of holly to this refugium to vary the delights.

Ilex aquifolium, Prunus spinosa, Crataegus monogyna, Viburnum opulus, and Sorbus aucuparia

In a winter composition on a balcony

In winter, a season when flowers are scarce, you can use dwarf holly to create displays that evoke the Christmas spirit on your balcony. In a pot, plant a dwarf holly – Ilex meserveae ‘Little Rascal’ with a rounded and compact habit. Its glossy, evergreen foliage changes colour in winter, shifting from dark green to purple. Add Oriental hellebores ‘Magic Double Rose’, small horned violets ‘Sorbet Xp F1 White’, cyclamen, and heathers, sticking to shades of pink and white. To add a gourmet touch, finish with one or two plants of compact wintergreen like Gaultheria procumbens with red berries or the variety ‘Color Surprise’ with tri-coloured berries.
You can set up this combination as early as autumn to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Ilex meserveae ‘Little Rascal’, Oriental hellebore ‘Magic Double Rose’, Gaultheria procumbens, horned violet ‘Sorbet Xp F1 White’, Erica x darleyensis Silberschmelze, and Cyclamen coum pink