12 Sky Pencil Holly Companion Plants: Ideal Neighbors

Sky pencil holly companion plants are abundant – examples include begonias and impatiens.

Given that the sky pencil is a very distinctive kind of holly, it provides a natural accent in the garden landscape and does well beside other plants, the reason why many gardeners grow annual and perennial plants that look attractive under its bushes.

Some Ideal Sky Pencil Holly Companion Plants

Ilex crenata was considered to best go with city gardens, contemporary gardens, courtyard, and cottage styles, while in your own garden, they can be good compliments to bed and borders, wall-side borders, patio, and containers. Here are the ideal plants that can accompany this plant.

1. Begonia

This annual plant prefers full sun to partial shade. However, it does not like the full sun during hot summer days as it will make them vulnerable to diseases.

– Specific Needs

Make sure to always keep the soil moist by watering correctly to keep the begonia in its optimum health. You may also want to use well-draining soil to ensure that the soil is kept moist but not soaked. Regular deadheading and pinching also help to maintain begonia in good health and accompany your sky pencil Japanese holly.

– Unique Characteristics

Begonias are known to be excellent specimens for container combinations because they grow rapidly and easily fill spaces in the garden. That’s not to mention the vibrant red-colored blooms they produce that complement the bushes.

2. Pansy

This multicolored flower guarantees that your garden has a cheerful vibe. It does best beside the sky pencil bushes. Pansy or ‘viola x wittrockiana’ is a winter-bloomer annual plant that is native to northern areas of the United States.

– Specific Needs

If you are planning to grow pansy beside your sky pencil holly, make sure to plant it in well-prepared, well-draining, acidic soil with organic material to give it nutrients. With enough watering and deadheading, your holly will have a perfect combination in no time.

– Unique Characteristics

Pansy is an excellent plant for flower bed borders, combination containers. You can even put it in a hanging basket.

3. Impatiens

While very sensitive to lack of water, Impatiens flowers are perfect to use as border plants, bedding plants, or container plants and go well with your ‘sky pencil’ holly.

– Specific Needs

To care for impatiens, water it regularly, especially during dry spells, to keep the soil moist. As mentioned earlier, they do not do well with a lack of water because this condition can cause them to wilt quickly. They also prefer rich and well-draining soil, along with being fertilized on a regular basis using a water-soluble fertilizer.

– Unique Characteristics

Impatiens flowers will brighten up the shady area of your garden or yard with their wide variety of colors, such as red, white, violet, pink, coral, purple, and yellow.

4. Hypoestes

Displaying interesting colorful foliage, Hypoestes or polka dot plants would definitely look good together with your holly.

– Specific Needs

To encourage colorful foliage, situate your Hypoestes in low-light areas in your yard. It prefers organic matter-rich and well-draining but moist soil, and at least once a month feeding.

– Unique Characteristics

Hypoestes is a perennial herbaceous shrub grown as a houseplant that performs best in lower light situations. So the tall sky pencil bushes are perfect.

5. Sapphire Flower

Another lovely combination for your sky pencil plant is the sapphire flower plant which is scientifically named Browallia speciosa.

– Specific Needs

Sapphire flower does best in moist soil but can be drought tolerant. It thrives in shady to semi-shade locations and does not prefer direct sun as it will cause foliage burn.

– Unique Characteristics

The sapphire flower plant is an annual flowering plant commonly used as a garden ornamental and prized for its blue, white, or purple flowers. This garden ornamental is an excellent plant in an annual flower garden or container.

6. Snapdragon

Snapdragon is a mid-sized plant that will complement the towering height of sky pencil. It is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae.

– Specific Needs

To care for a snapdragon, plant it in well-draining soil and situate it in a full-sun location. To encourage flowering, cut the top stem and long side shoots. Keeping the soil moist by administering regular watering will also help the snapdragon to perform best.

– Unique Characteristics

Snapdragon also comes with different stem varieties, such as dwarf, intermediate, and tall, which may reach 3 feet or as short as 6 inches, ideal as background plants or bedding plants. It also bears fragrant flowers with a wide range of colors except for blue.

7. Geraniums

Geraniums, or Pelargonium x hortorum, is another flowering option you may consider to sit beside your holly. 

– Specific Needs

Geraniums needs to be planted in moist but well-draining soil while being allowed to receive at least six to eight hours of sunlight. Other care requirements include watering when the soil feels dry to the touch, fertilizing every four to six weeks, regular deadheading to encourage blooms, and mulching to help keep the moisture.

– Unique Characteristics

Perfect to be planted as an indoor plant, outdoor plant, bedding plant, or in a hanging basket.

8. Periwinkle

Periwinkle or Vinca minor is also known as lavender blue. It is a species of flowering plant belonging in the family Apocynaceae.

– Specific Needs

Given that periwinkle can tolerate drought, it will only require a small amount of care, especially when it is already established in your garden.

– Unique Characteristics

It is a pastel purple-colored flower that blooms in an evergreen plant commonly found creeping down banks and hillsides. The plant naturally grows as ground cover.

9. Wishbone Flower

This eye-catching beauty will surely add a pop of color and can be one of the best Japanese holly companion plants.

– Specific Needs

Wishbone flowers like to be situated in an area with morning sun and afternoon shade. It prefers rich, well-draining soil with consistent moisture, so regular watering is necessary. Help the plant thrive by fertilizing it. To encourage a shrub-like appearance, try pinching back the new growth on top of the plant.

– Unique Characteristics

This bushy annual flowering plant is an excellent choice when it comes to borders, containers, and even house plants because of its bi-colored wishbone-shaped flowers. It usually grows up to 6 inches to 12 inches in height.

10. Cleome

Cleome belongs to the family Cleomaceae of an annual flowering plant that is sometimes called a spider plant or spider flower.

– Specific Needs

Cleome is easy to grow and prefers full sun to part shade locations to quickly produce spider flowers. It is also not sensitive to any kind of soil as long as it is well-draining. Deadheading is an effective way to encourage a longer bloom period or a second bloom.

– Unique Characteristics

Cleome typically reaches a height of up to five feet, bearing large and showy foliage, and white, pale pink, or lavender-colored flowers.

11. Lobelia

Lobelia is a brilliantly colored flowering plant that was considered an easy-grower. Lobelia is a genus of flowering plants that comprises over 415 species.

– Specific Needs

This garden must-have is an ideal plant to sit beside your sky pencil Japanese holly. It grows in any kind of soil and requires full sun, but it can also tolerate partial shade. It does best when planted in rich, moist, and well-draining soil. Frequent watering during dry spells, deadheading, and feeding with liquid fertilizer at least once a month are the only requirements once this plant is established.

– Unique Characteristics

It grows up to 3 inches to 5 inches tall and is an excellent plant to use in borders, ground covers, ponds or creeks, and containers, especially in hanging baskets!

12. Coleus

Coleus is from the Lamiaceae family of annual and perennial herbs or shrubs, which are sometimes considered a succulent.

– Specific Needs

Coleus is easy to propagate, easy to grow, and easy to care for even when paired with your holy plant. Plant it in fertile, moist, and well-draining soil. If you plant it in a container, make sure to water it frequently. You can feed it using a liquid fertilizer during the spring and summer seasons. Deadheading may result in bushier growth.

– Unique Characteristics

Having a wide variety of leaf sizes and attractive combinations of colors, they can be used as an addition to beds and borders or in containers, but expect rapid growth. They can also be used in dark areas of your yard because they do best in partial shade locations.

Conclusion

The sky pencil holly stands beautifully upright, which makes it a garden must-have, especially as a bed and border plant. However, you can fill empty spaces with colorful plants to make your garden more attractive. 

• Coleus, snapdragon, and impatiens could add lovely hues to a sky pencil.
• Periwinkle is a perfect companion plant if you choose to maintain a dwarf sky pencil.
• Sapphire flowers and hypoestes tolerate partial shade, which makes them an ideal choice to accompany your tall sky pencil.

After learning about these plants, you can now level up your garden adventure by experimenting with these ideal sky pencil companion plants.