Ilex crenata Topiary Balls

Lightly trim once or twice a year – after the main flush of new growth in late spring and again in midsummer. A few quick snips are all it takes to keep that lovely rounded shape.

On Arrival and Planting

• Unpack your Ilex crenata ball as soon as it arrives and give it a good drink of water if the compost feels dry. If you're not planting straight away, just leave it in a sheltered spot outdoors and make sure it stays watered.
• Choose a sunny or lightly shaded spot - this plant is wonderfully adaptable. It’s happy in the ground or in containers, so it works just as well flanking a doorway or lining a formal path as it does nestled into a flower bed for year-round structure.
• Use a container with good drainage holes and fill it with a high-quality compost. Place your plant in the centre, ensuring it sits at the same level as it was in its nursery pot, then backfill around the rootball and firm in gently.
• Water well to settle it in.
• Or, if planting in the ground, dig a hole roughly twice the width of the pot and just as deep.
• Loosen the soil at the bottom, add a handful of slow-release fertiliser if you have it, then position the plant and refill around it.
• Firm down and water in thoroughly.

Ongoing Care

• Keep the soil moist, especially during the first growing season - once established, it’s reasonably drought tolerant.
• Feed in spring with a general-purpose fertiliser to encourage healthy growth.

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. Pre-ordered items will be sent as soon as possible after the date quoted and we'll generally ship your entire order with your pre-ordered items. When your order is dispatched, we'll send you another email with details of how to track it.

Most orders are sent on a fully-tracked courier service with Yodel. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, no signature is required, and our courier is asked to leave your order in a safe place on your property.

We'll send a tracking link when we dispatch your order, so you know when its due to arrive. Please note, once delivered we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your property. If you have any specific delivery instructions, please let us know - there's an option to enter a short message for the courier at the checkout.

Smaller, lighter, single-item orders may be sent through the post with Royal Mail - in which case no tracking is available.

Our experienced nursery team will always send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive when you plant them, so although most plants are very tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme frosts or heatwaves, we avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme weather is forecast, or over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.