Last year I added several 'Soft Touch' compact hollies (Ilex crenata) to my landscape, and I have been pleased with their performance so far. This unassuming but useful shrub grows at a moderate rate to 2-3' wide and tall, prefers full sun, is hardy in zones 5-9, and its leaves are not prickly. It may sport black berries in winter, though my eight young shrubs didn't produce any this year. I have used various types of boxwoods (45 of them in all) to create a winter skeleton and to calm down…