A tree recently fell on my hedges and one died so now I have a hole that I am looking to fill. Unfortunately the previous owners planted the hedges and I am not sure what it is. I have attached a few photos and am hoping someone would be able to identify it.

Thanks in advance

Boxwood.

Are you sure it's dead? It's not that easy to kill a mature shrub.

You have some dead limbs in there but that can be common and isn't a big deal when only a few like what you have there. Those shrubs there are definitely alive. Is there a nearby spot where the dead one was?

It reminds me of the Littleleaf Boxwood (Buxus microphylla) hedge that we had at our old house.

purpleinopp said:Are you sure it's dead? It's not that easy to kill a mature shrub.

Yes, those pictures are of the living ones. I gave it a year in hopes of reviving it, but the limbs have still been brown with no leaves. While I was trying to trim some of the branches back the base of the shrub just snapped off.

pepper23 said:You have some dead limbs in there but that can be common and isn't a big deal when only a few like what you have there. Those shrubs there are definitely alive. Is there a nearby spot where the dead one was?

Sorry, yes I didn't take pictures of the dead area. Those pictures are of the alive area

plantladylin said:It reminds me of the Littleleaf Boxwood (Buxus microphylla) hedge that we had at our old house.

• Littleleaf Boxwood (Buxus microphylla)
• Uploaded by plantladylin

I agree that i think it is boxwood, just not sure what type. You maybe right. My parents had two of their shrubs die and they bought two new ones that they thought were the same. As we later learned and they filled in they clearly were not and it always looked terrible to me. I'm trying to avoid that.

That does sound dead. That's amazing! It usually takes me a couple of years of digging and mangling to completely get rid of a boxwood.

Take a healthy trimming to the store with you.

purpleinopp said:Take a healthy trimming to the store with you.

Didn't think off that, great idea 👍

My pleasure.

I don't think that is a boxwood. It has serrated leaves. Maybe an Osmanthus...

purpleinopp said:Take a healthy trimming to the store with you.

Didn't think off that, great idea 👍

Cotoneaster?

It might be embarrassing to admit, but a close look at all the pictures here seems to show small leaved evergreen plants with alternate arrangement of leaves - including the ID questioner AND the Plants DB image.

That ain't Boxwood - Buxus sp. - which will have opposite arrangement of small simple evergreen leaves.

Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) is a much better fit. I think that is the ID that is being pursued. This plant is often used as a sheared hedge. There are many named selections of this species, so you may have to hunt a while to find an exact match. Southern New Jersey is a great place to successfully grow this plant, too.

I'd suggest a quicker route is to submit your question with pictures to the Holly Society of America web page, where there are Holly aficionados that can recognize almost any Holly. BTW: HSA has its home base in Millville, NJ - since 1947.

http://www.hollysocam.org/

I should know. I served as President of this august organization for a few years, and still admire the tenacity and passion of its members.

I vote for holly.

The leaves are too big to be boxwood. Do the shrubs have a nice unique smell in the spring? Then I lean to boxwood. If there is no fragrance then holly. I immediately thought holly. Good luck!

Not boxwood, similar to Yaupon Holly.

Lioba said:The leaves are too big to be boxwood. Do the shrubs have a nice unique smell in the spring? Then I lean to boxwood. If there is no fragrance then holly. I immediately thought holly. Good luck!

No smell/fragrance. So now I think you guys are right, some type of holly