Is Inkberry deer resistant?
Ilex glabra
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Inkberry
A native holly with no spines at all, which makes it the sensible evergreen for a bed beside a path. It tolerates genuinely wet ground, unusual in an evergreen shrub, and it is the most reliable boxwood substitute where boxwood blight is a problem. Older plants go leggy and bare at the base, so cut a third of the stems hard every few years to keep it furnished.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 4.5 to 6
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 35 to 59 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Inkberry
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Where Inkberry grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolinanative
- Tennessee
- Georgianative
- Texasnative
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermont
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delawarenative
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolinanative
- Floridanative
- Alabamanative
- Mississippinative
- Louisiananative
- Arkansasnative
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 20 US states in total.
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Every list Inkberry belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Inkberry
- Is Inkberry deer resistant?
- Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Inkberry grow in?
- Inkberry is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Inkberry grow in shade?
- Yes. Inkberry tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Inkberry get?
- Mature height is roughly 60–120 in. Growth rate is slow.
- Is Inkberry toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Inkberry as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.