Spencer Young · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
This evergreen shrub requires no pruning, though may be pruned or sheared at any time of year as a formal or informal hedge or specimen, or to remove stray or broken branches. Responds well to shearing without much noticeable scarring of leaves. Left alone, with no pruning, this shrub will form a dense, more natural hedge or shrub. One yearly pruning can easily keep this plant in bounds in most landscape settings. Several shearing a year may be necessary to maintain as a formal hedge.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Planting
Plant Compacta holly in well-drained soil in either full sun or partial shade. Consistently wet soils can cause problems with the roots.

To plant, dig a hole no deeper than the root ball and two to three times the width of the root ball and fill it with water. If the hole drains within a few hours, you have good drainage. If the water is still standing 12 hours later, improve the drainage in your bed, perhaps by establishing a raised bed. Turn and break up the soil removed from the planting hole. If the native soil is compacted or heavy clay amend with organic compost or a good soil amendment at a 50/50 ratio. Remove your plant from its container and carefully but firmly loosen the root ball. Set the plant into the hole you've prepared, making sure the top of the root ball is slightly above the soil level. Pull your backfill soil mixture around the root ball in the hole, tamping as you go to remove air pockets. Then water thoroughly and cover with a one to two-inch layer of mulch

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
Compacta holly is a low maintenance plant that requires no pruning however can be sheared to various formal shapes or into a formal hedge.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Feeding
Compacta holly prefer an acid soil with a pH in the range of 5 to 7. I fertilize hollies in spring and again in late summer with a well-balanced shrub & tree type fertilizer that includes a micronutrient package containing iron and/or sulfur. If the foliage on your holly develop chlorosis (yellowing of leaves), due to soil that is too alkaline, you can apply additional amounts of chelated iron and/or soil sulfur to lower soil pH, making it more acidic.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
Compacta holly is a very tough plant that has very few insect or disease problems. Consistently wet soil can cause serious problems with the roots.

Robert Huffstedtler · Gardenality Seed · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
In the mid-Atlantic region, compacta is highly susceptible to black root rot, which can be dormant in the soil for years even without a host. I'm currently in the process of losing all of my newly planted shrubs along the front of the house.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
Where I'm at in mid Georgia, where we have clay-based soil, I've seen many varieities of Ilex crenata (Japanese holly) affected by root rot, especially in sites that drain slowly after rain or irrigation. I always recommend planting Japanese Holly in raised beds or mounds to keep the roiots above the water table. If any Japanese holly dies from root rot I would always recommend replacing with another species of holly, such as dwarf yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), or some other type of plant.