Naturallyilex

Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green’®Ilex crenata ‘Blondie’®

®

2 Naturally Ilex

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Contents

4 - 5 Ilex Crenata THEN and NOW

6 - 7Het Loo Royal Palace in Apeldoorn

8 - 9Ilex Crenata in rounded forms

10 - 11Capel Manor Gardens in North London

12 - 13Ilex Crenata in angular forms

14 - 15Villa garden in Brussels

16 - 17Frequently asked questions

18 - 19The nursery

2 Naturally Ilex

ColofonClient: Ilex Select

With thanks to: Het Loo Palace (Apeldoorn),

Capel Manor Gardens (Enfield, London),

residents and architects of the gardens

photographed

Production: Het Groenbureau (Dongen)

Printing: @traction (Ekeren)

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quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam.

Naturally IlexW e are proud to introduce Ilex Crenata ‘Dark

Green’® and ‘Blondie’®. These plants are the

result of carefully selected Ilex seedlings which

are protected by plant breeders’ rights. With Ilex Crenata ‘Dark

Green’® and ‘Blondie’® we guarantee you high quality and con-

sistent plants.

The following pages show selections of Ilex Crenata used in

gardens: from fantasy and bonsai forms, spheres, ‘bee hives’

and cloud formations to hedges in straight and curved forms,

block forms and columns. Open your imagination to the wide

range of possibilities!

4 Naturally Ilex

A s early as 1936, it was noted that Ilex crenata “is a

great shrub, that stands out for its small shiny green

leaves, which look much like those of the boxwood

shrub.”

Aside from that, the leaves are up to 3 cm in size and the leaf

is toothed (crenate means wavy-toothed). Ilex crenata grows

naturally on the islands of Japan, where the species can be

found in shrub growth along streams and in forests. From a

compact bush, this Japanese holly developed into a vigorous

shrub and sometimes into a small, multi-stemmed tree.

We have enjoyed Ilex crenata in our own gardens for a long

time. And the fact that Japanese holly is still valued is shown

by its use in Jubilee Park in London, designed by the well-

known Flemish landscape architects Jacques and Peter Wirtz

in 2002. This park - on the roof of a car park - is enclosed by

a beech hedge and criss- crossed by serpentine lines of small

stone walls. The green is in the form of lawns and, among other

things, masses of Ilex crenata.

Little was written about the cultivars of Ilex crenata in the last

century, while over 60 are registered today. Nevertheless the

1971 catalogue of the well-known English nursery Hilliers &

Sons does list nine varieties. Of these, the yellow-leaved ‘Golden

Gem’, the compact growing ‘Stokes’ and ‘Convexa’ with its

distinct bulging leaf are the best known. ‘Convexa’ was by far

the best- known cultivar at the end of the last century, although

it was only used on a modest scale. Fine examples of shaped

masses were particularly evident in the gardens from the 1970s.

Ilex crenata in literature…The Dutch author John Bergmans wrote in his 1936 book

‘De tuin bij het huis’ [The garden at the house]: “Ilex crenata

is a great shrub, that stands out for its small shiny green

leaves, which look much like those of the boxwood shrub.”

Another Dutch author A.J. Herwig describes Ilex crenata in

his ‘Herwigs Praktische Tuin-Encyclopaedie’ [Practical Gar-

den Encyclopaedia] from 1937. And in the summary of small

evergreen shrubs in his book ‘Ik kan tuinieren’ [I can garden]

from 1952 he writes on this species: “a shrub with small

crenate leaves, that can tolerate shade well. His compatriot

Elisabeth de Lestrieux describes the shrub species in

‘Het kleine paradijs’ [The little paradise] from 1984 as a good

hedge plant; “if you do not want to have to prune ‘carefully’

with the pruning shears, choose the small-leaved Ilex cre-

nata.” The English green author Stanley B. Whitehead des-

cribes Ilex crenata in ‘Gardening with Shrubs & Trees’ from

1957 as “slow growing and useful for the front of a border.”

Ilex crenata THENAn exciting revival!Modest in size, easy to prune, evergreen and cold-hardy.

These are the most important qualities of Ilex crenata.

A shrub that was widely used in gardens, especially at

the beginning of the last century, but has now made an

important comeback due to improved varieties.

1936 1937 1952

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Y ou can well imagine the result: a field full of different

variants of Ilex crenata, one of which immediately

stands out for its vigorous growth with young shoots

and a light green colour. This cultivar is called ‘Blondie’®. Not

much later, the dark-leaved ‘Dark Green’® was also selected

for its great resemblance to Buxus. “Although at that time, that

was completely irrelevant because Buxus was being sold in

large numbers,” explains Oprins. However, when the boxwood

fields at his nursery required increasing care, the healthy ‘Dark

Green’® was found to be a good alternative.

Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green’® and ‘Blondie’® are very healthy culti-

vars, virtually free of pests and diseases which lend themselves

well to pruning, and stand out year-round with their beautiful leaf

colour. In short, they are the perfect plants for hedges, whether

low or high, and any other topiary form imaginable. After the

trademark protection of these new cultivars, production has

been considerably increased. This means that both strains are

widely available, from small plants in pot size P9 to open ground

plants with heights of up to two meters. “Now that we’ve come

this far, the future for these two Ilex Crenata cultivars looks bright

because of their many and diverse applications.

Ilex crenata NOWA revolution in the gardenJan Oprins, a plant lover through and through, has been

working with his nursery in Rijkevorsel, Belgium for many

years. He is always looking for innovations within the

vast array of garden plants. In 1989, his enduring interest

in Ilex led him to sow seeds of Ilex crenata from various

sources.

1957 19841971

®

Royal Palace Garden

Het Loo

Ilex Crenata Dark Green was the choice of Palace Het Loo, after

3 years of intense testing and comparing of various alternatives.

Willem Zieleman - head gardener of Palace Het Loo - proudly

plants the first specimen.

Dealing with the diseases of Box asks for a thorough approach

…

… but the reward is to see the historical gardens restored to

their original grandeur.

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D uring the restoration work in the Baroque gar-den of Het Loo Palace in the Netherlands, it was decided to remove the Buxus hedges due

to blight. After a number of very extensive trials, it was decided to use Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green’® as the new hedge plant. After a first plantation in the Upper Garden, this was quickly followed by planting in the Queen’s and King’s gardens at each side of the palace. The first phase of the planting work was completed in 2013.

Het Loo’s head gardener, Willem Zieleman, explains: “Since the planting that was done in the 1980s, the Queen’s and King’s gardens had not been renovated and were badly in need of major maintenance. The

boxwood hedges were weak and had been affected by box blight. By planting Ilex, we are restoring the garden to its full glory. It was decided to use Ilex Crenata ‘Dark Green’® for its close resemblance to the original Buxus Sempervirens and its excellent resistance to moulds and viruses.”

At Het Loo, a total of 27 kilometres of boxwood hedges will be replaced by Ilex Crenata ‘Dark Green’®. Besides the close resemblance to Buxus, this cultivar has den-se growth and the plant lends itself to being kept low. Zieleman: “What stands out is the strong growth, its resistance to cold, and the fact that the plant accepts pruning very well.”

Royal Palace Garden

Het Loo

Apeldoorn

Rounded formsfor large andsmall gardens

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Spheres and clouds

B oth Ilex Crenata, ‘Dark Green’, and Blondie can be pruned successfully into a whole range of shapes, from hedges to geometric forms and columns. The more the plant is clipped, the more dense and crisp the outline becomes. Hedges and topiary forms became the strong

architectural framework of any garden, playing a particularly important role in winter months.

The fashion for taming and shaping nature through skilled topiary and hedges - so beautifully executed in the gardens of Versailles, designed by Le Notre for Louis XIV - is alive and flourishing on a smaller scale in our gardens today.

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Rounded formsfor large andsmall gardens

Round forms inpainting

T he painting style of the Russian-French painter and graphic artist Wassily Kandinsky initially was part of expressionism. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Kandinsky gave shape to abstract art. Music was an important inspiration for him. According to his sound- colour theory, each colour has its own

language and expression, and every colour has its own soul. For instance, Kandinsk y tried to translate musical compositions into paintings. He heard the music in colours and in colours he saw the music. Round forms are a central theme of these paintings.

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C apel Manor Gardens in Enfield, North London, could

be described as an oasis for every garden lovers, in

that 60 themed gardens and landscapes are spread

over an area of 30 hectares.

Hundreds of prospective horticulturalists and landscape de-

signers regularly use this site as a valuable reference both for

inspirational ideas and practical application.

Capel Manor showcases many examples of plants used in

hedging. Not only the familiar but also more innovative varieties

can be compared in-situ. Ilex Crenata Dark Green® was recent-

ly introduced in a show garden the size of a typical urban plot,

where the central circular lawn is surrounded by a perennial

border. The border is framed by a circular hedge, reinforcing

the contours of the lawn. Whilst the hedge plants used are only

60cm high, a weathering steel structure clearly indicates the

CapelManor Gardensoasis for everygarden lover

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CapelManor Gardensoasis for everygarden lover

ultimate growth height intentioned for the hedge with slopes

from high to low. Andy Moreham who was involved in the

purchase of the Ilex Crenata Dark Green® in this instance finds

the cultivar is a good plant for low hedges. “Our experience

has been excellent. The plants look healthy and the growth is

outstanding”.

North-Londen

12 Naturally Ilex12 Naturally Ilex

Lines and blocks

B oth Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green®’ and ‘Blondie®’ can be pruned into any desired shape without problems. Aside from hedges in various shapes and sizes, block forms and columns are also possible. The more it is pruned, the more compact the plant becomes. In particular, the hedge shapes emphasise the basic

design of every garden all year round. We especially recognise these strict lines from the French garden style in which André Le Notre is by far the best-known landscape architect. In the 17th century, he designed the gardens at the Palace of Versailles for Louis XIV. The Sun King also expressed his power with the many hedges in the palace garden. With the extensive pruning, he set nature to his hand. Precise shapes like those at Versailles can still be found in many gardens to this day.

Straight linesand block

formsfor large andsmall gardens

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Straight lines inpainting art

P iet Mondriaan is by far the best known artist for his use of straight lines in painting. When he came to Paris in 1911, he discovered cubism. Full of enthusiasm, he threw himself into this art form. At first he only painted in black lines, with additions limited to grey and white. Later, he

expanded his pallet with the primary colours red, blue and yellow. In that era, together with other artists he established the journal “De Stijl”,to become later an art movement. Mondriaans works from that period made him famous worldwide.

14 Naturally Ilex

I n a villa garden in a leafy suburb of Brussels, it was deci-

ded to use Ilex Crenata ‘Blondie’®, in the organically sha-

ped labyrinth in front of the house and against the dark

fringe of the forest at the back. A total of almost 1,000 plants

were used, of which some were as high as a person and some

at knee height. A deliberate choice was made to use the cul-

tivar ‘Blondie’® for the colour effect of the light green young

foliage that later turns dark in colour.

Brussels

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In the darker forest’s edge, ‘Blondie’® fills the openings in the

vegetation under the leaf canopy of the trees growing above.

Here, the bushes are only lightly pruned so that they can

develop naturally. In the labyrinth, the bushes are trimmed

regularly to ultimately create a labyrinth of wavy, organic but

solid walls. Sometimes these walls are only one plant thick,

sometimes low plants are pressed against the high ones so

that the ‘green walls’ increase in width.

The relatively heavy soil of Brussels made it necessary to

condition the soil before planting. Once established, the roots

can also find their way through the loamy clay soil of Brussels.

A humus rich organic compost was added to improve

drainage and nutrient balance.

VillaGarden

in leafysuburb

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What is the growth pattern of Ilex Crenata ‘Blondie’® & ‘Dark Green’®?

‘Dark Green’® and ‘Blondie’® are narrow and ver-tical and have dense branching, making them excellent for both low and head-high hedges. Heights up to 2 - 3 metres are easily achieved.

How is Ilex Crenata ‘Blondie’® different from ‘Dark Green’®?

Ilex Crenata ‘Blondie’® makes shoots up to ± 40 cm per year after the year it is planted, Ilex Crenata ‘Dark Green’® up to about 30 cm. The evergreen leaf of ‘Blondie’® is ovoid to elliptical and emerges light green in the spring. In the summer, the leaf is bright green. The evergreen leaf of ‘Dark Green’® is oval and emerges bright green. The leaf quickly becomes dark green after emerging.

Do the cultivars of Ilex crenata produce flowers and berries?

For both cultivars, the bloom is subtle with creamy white flowers and small black berries - loved by the birds - follow flowering.

What type of root systems do the Ilex crenata cultivars have?

The plants have shallow rooting, with a fine and tightly branched root structure.

Frequently askedQUESTIONS

‘Dark Green®’ ‘Blondie®’

‘Dark Green®’ ‘Blondie®’

For more information see also: www.ilexselect.com

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What is the best planting location?

Ilex Crenata ‘Dark Green’® and ‘Blondie’® grow best in the full sun or semi-shade. The plants cope with deep shade under trees, but there the leaves quickly become dark in colour. The soil must be humus rich, high in nutrients and pre-ferably slightly moist. Good permeability is impor-tant, heavy clay soil and/or a high groundwater require careful preparation with the incorporation of humus rich compost to open soil and improve drainage & nutrient balance. Best growth occurs in neutral to slightly acidic soil.

What is the best time to plant?

The best planting time for seedlings is from Octo-ber to May, depending on the weather conditions (not during a period of frost). Plants in containers can be planted year round. It is advisable to use organic fertiliser, as this also stimulates soil life. The effect of organic fertilizer also lasts longer than that of artificial fertilizer. With dry soil, good water management is important.

What is the best pruning period?

Ilex crenata lends itself very well to pruning into hedges, spheres, blocks, pyramids or topiary forms.Pruning is done at least twice per year, preferably in the early summer and once in September or October. By pruning twice, the plant continues to branch well and the trimmed shape is main-tained. Pruning on hot days is not advisable, in order to avoid leaf scorch . A major advantage of Ilex Crenata ‘Dark Green’® and Blondie’® is that the cultivars recover well from old wood.

Frequently askedQUESTIONS ®

For more information see also: www.ilexselect.com

18 Naturally Ilex

Mechanical removal

Open soil cultivation

Homogeneity through mechanical maintenance of plantsOptimal loading

The NURSERY

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Open field cultivation

Making root balls

Mechanical uprooting

Plant stock

Container cultivation

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Ilex Selectwww.ilexselect.cominfo@ilexselect.com