It makes a gnarled specimen with minute, round leaves and has a good crop of black berries in winter.   I. crenata is a good alternative to dwarf box for small formal hedges.   Hollies are not difficult to grow, although I have found a tendency for them to die back badly at maturity in places with cool, wet summers.   Our native common holly is not in the least fussy about soil and grows on everything from acid loams to chalk, and species from China and the Himalayas are equally hardy and reliable.   However, American species, many of which are deciduous, tend to be lime-hating to varying degrees.   There is a far wider range of hollies available than you might have originally supposed, and some have an elegance that you wouldn't normally associate with them.     mind you, I don't suppose you would really want to stick them in the top of the Christmas pudding either.     BUYERS GUIDE You are quite likely to find specimens of the majority of forms of I, aquifolium and I. x altaclarensis in the garden centres and tree-and- shrub nurseries within striking distance of where you live.   Beware, however, of badly root-bound specimens, which are all too common.   For rarer and more unusual hollies the main source is Mallet Court Nursery, Curry Mallet, Taunton, Somerset TA3 6SY is owned by an enthusiast for certain tree genera, notably acer, quercus and ilex.