Ilex crenata 'Bennett's Compacta' ~ Bennett's Compact Japanese Holly shade-garden IMAGES: Rexness from Melbourne

IMAGES: Rexness from Melbourne

Fruits: Thornless Blackberry

The long leathery green foliage has lighter undersides and hold until spring before turning orange and dropping just in time for the new leaves to replace them

The large cone panicles bloom pure white and fade to pink in summer attracting butterflies

Ilex crenata 'Bennett's Compacta' ~ Bennett's Compact Japanese Holly shade-garden IMAGES: Rexness from MelbourneBennett's Compact Japanese Holly is a dense compact evergreen shrub with a tidy rounded habit of upright branches and small lustrous green foliage. If pollinated, the inconspicuous flowers in spring to give way to small red fruits in fall which last through winter. Best planted in moist, slightly acidic well drained soils. Hollies are dioecious and need both male and female plants to produce fruit. Type: Shrub Origins: East Asia and eastern Russia