Holly in the shade

[Big Bad Bob]

zone 5
i have a customer who wants holly by her front door. this is on the north side of the house and gets 0 sun. they have inkberry shamrock holly there now and it is not doing well. lots of shoots. thin on the leaves. i'm sure the lack of full sun is responsible. she still wants xmas holly to replace them. my question is, and i'm willing to research if i can get a lead on a source but she wants it done soon, is there a variety of holly that does well in zone 5 and in full shade? this lady is a great customer and i would like to please her on this one.
well, off to the web to try and find info.
thanks.

[Dreams To Designs]

Bob, Ilex aquifolium is commonly called Christmas or English holly and it will grow in zone 5B and survive in the shade. It will not remain tight, but the branching will be more open and loose. If there is no sunlight at all, not too many plants will be very happy there for long, but sometimes some early morning or late afternoon sun sneaks in and gives enough light to keep some plants content. You may be better off with mahonia, Oregon Grape holly as it is more shade tolerant and should survive in your winters.

Kirk