Sky Pencil Japanese Holly (1 Gallon) - Upright, columnar evergreen that's especially elegant in containers and as a hedge.

It varies a lot, from low groundcover junipers to arborvitae that can reach 30 feet or more, and this page lists the size for this plant. Plan for its full spread, not the size of the pot.

Set plants a little closer together than they'd spread on their own, measured center to center. For example, a shrub that spreads 4 feet wide goes about 3½ feet apart.

Some browning after planting or after a hard winter is common in young evergreens. Both come down to water: a root ball that dried out, or winter sun and wind pulling water from the leaves while the roots sit in frozen soil. Water deeply through fall until the ground freezes, and wait for spring growth before you trim, since buds under brown tips can still be alive. Mild winter bronzing on boxwood almost always greens up in spring. Narrow black streaks on green boxwood stems are different, so send us photos.

It depends on the plant. Deer seldom do serious damage to spruces, most junipers or boxwood. They browse arborvitae and yews heavily, especially in winter, and occasionally do serious damage to blue hollies and Japanese hollies like Sky Pencil. Where deer are common, a wire-mesh cage around a young plant stops browsing.

Most evergreens hold their shape with little or no trimming. If you do trim, skip late summer and fall, because cuts then push tender new growth that winter can burn. Take out winter-browned tips in spring, once new growth shows you what's alive.

Yes, for female hollies. Blue Princess, Castle Spire and Red Beauty set their red berries only with a male holly nearby that blooms at the same time, such as Blue Boy or Castle Wall. One male can serve three to five females, planted within about 300 feet.

It's the size of the nursery pot the plant ships in, not the plant's height. A 1-gallon plant ships in a 1-gallon pot. The plant itself varies by variety and by season.

A few days in a dark box is stressful for a leafy plant, and some yellow or dropped leaves are common. Water it if the soil is dry, give it a few days in bright shade, then move it into more sun over a week or two. New leaves usually follow. If it looks damaged or unhealthy beyond a few leaves, contact us that day with photos.

Plant when the ground isn't frozen, and not during a heat wave. Loosen any roots circling the root ball, and set the top of the root ball level with the ground or slightly above it. Water it in well.

Check the soil every few days for the first few months, and water when the root ball is dry. A new shrub counts as established once its roots spread as wide as its branches, which usually takes at least two growing seasons. Until then, it depends on you for water, even if the label says drought tolerant.