Gem Box Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra 'SMNIGAB17' GEM BOX)
EYE-leks GLAB-rah 'SMNIGAB17' GEM BOX

Evergreen Perennial Dense, Rounded in the Aquifoliaceae Family
A dwarf, ball-shaped evergreen holly with red-tipped new growth and a boxwood-like look.

Gem Box® is a dwarf, boxwood-alternative selection of native inkberry holly (Ilex glabra), bred by Timothy D. Wood for Spring Meadow Nursery and patented in 2017 (US PP27554). Its full, dense branching reaches all the way to the ground, giving a neat, ball-shaped habit without the bare lower legs common in older inkberry types. New leaves emerge with attractive reddish tips in spring before maturing to dark green. Typically growing 2 to 3 ft tall and wide, it thrives in consistently moist, acidic soil and tolerates boggy sites, making it well suited to stream and pond plantings as well as hedges, edging, foundation plantings, and containers. Like all inkberry hollies, Gem Box is dioecious and this is a female selection, needing an unrelated male inkberry such as Squeeze Box planted nearby to set berries.

Pros

  • Dense, ball-shaped habit with no bare lower legs
  • Colorful red-tipped new growth in spring
  • Deer resistant and salt tolerant
  • A true boxwood alternative for wet or acidic sites

Cons

  • Female only, needs an unrelated male inkberry nearby to set berries
  • Struggles in neutral to alkaline soil
  • Patented; propagation restricted to licensed growers
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 24 - 36 inches tall. 24 - 36 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet
Zones 5a - 9b (Usually hardy to -20° F)
Tags Attracts Bees, Attracts Birds, Attracts Pollinators, Container, Deer Resistant, Disease Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Evergreen, Formal Garden, Foundation, Fragrant, Full Sun, Good for Accents, Good for Borders, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Hedges, Good for Rain Garden, Insignificant Flowers, Low Maintenance, Medium, Mounded, Native to North America, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Potentially Toxic, Shrub, Tolerant of Acidic Soil, Tolerant of Hot Dry Site, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Well-Drained Soil, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant, Winter Interest, Woodland Garden
Bloom Period May to June
Flower Color White
Foliage Color Green with red tips
 

Awards

Commonly Planted with...

Pairs well with other moisture-tolerant native shrubs and perennials, such as summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) or winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata), in a wet-site planting.

Photos of This with...

Mojave Fuchsia Purslane
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!