A well known British native, particularly for its red berries at Christmas; Holly is a prickly evergreen shrub which makes a fine evergreen hedge. The dark green, glossy leaves provide a lovely foil for lighter coloured shrubs & perennials & its tolerance to clipping makes it a good choice for formal hedges. Ilex aquifolium is slow growing so needs less maintenance than other shrubs & the spiny leaves are an excellent deterrent to intruders.