diff --git a/gtk/gtkcsscomputedvalues.c b/gtk/gtkcsscomputedvalues.c
index dea23bdf5e..eb2210dc39 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcsscomputedvalues.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkcsscomputedvalues.c
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ _gtk_css_computed_values_compute_value (GtkCssComputedValues    *values,
       if (_gtk_css_style_property_is_inherit (prop))
         specified = _gtk_css_inherit_value_new ();
       else
-        specified = _gtk_css_initial_value_new ();
+        specified = _gtk_css_initial_value_new (prop);
     }
   else
     _gtk_css_value_ref (specified);
diff --git a/gtk/gtkcssinheritvalue.c b/gtk/gtkcssinheritvalue.c
index e2c3f16330..4699c8476c 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcssinheritvalue.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkcssinheritvalue.c
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ gtk_css_value_inherit_compute (GtkCssValue             *value,
     }
   else
     {
-      return _gtk_css_value_compute (_gtk_css_initial_value_get (),
+      return _gtk_css_value_compute (_gtk_css_initial_value_get (_gtk_css_style_property_lookup_by_id (property_id)),
                                      property_id,
                                      provider,
                                      values,
diff --git a/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalue.c b/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalue.c
index 427044d574..4db1bb4372 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalue.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalue.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 
 struct _GtkCssValue {
   GTK_CSS_VALUE_BASE
+  GtkCssStyleProperty *property;
 };
 
 static void
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ gtk_css_value_initial_compute (GtkCssValue             *value,
       break;
     }
 
-  return _gtk_css_value_compute (_gtk_css_style_property_get_initial_value (_gtk_css_style_property_lookup_by_id (property_id)),
+  return _gtk_css_value_compute (_gtk_css_style_property_get_initial_value (value->property),
                                  property_id,
                                  provider,
                                  values,
@@ -119,13 +120,19 @@ static const GtkCssValueClass GTK_CSS_VALUE_INITIAL = {
 static GtkCssValue initial = { &GTK_CSS_VALUE_INITIAL, 1 };
 
 GtkCssValue *
-_gtk_css_initial_value_new (void)
+_gtk_css_initial_value_new (GtkCssStyleProperty *property)
 {
-  return _gtk_css_value_ref (&initial);
+  return _gtk_css_value_ref (_gtk_css_initial_value_get (property));
 }
 
 GtkCssValue *
-_gtk_css_initial_value_get (void)
+_gtk_css_initial_value_get (GtkCssStyleProperty *property)
 {
-  return &initial;
+  if (property->css_initial_value == NULL)
+    {
+      property->css_initial_value = g_new0 (GtkCssValue, 1);
+      *property->css_initial_value = initial;
+      property->css_initial_value->property = property;
+    }
+  return property->css_initial_value;
 }
diff --git a/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalueprivate.h b/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalueprivate.h
index 185e1be177..6fa30eac24 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalueprivate.h
+++ b/gtk/gtkcssinitialvalueprivate.h
@@ -21,11 +21,11 @@
 #define __GTK_CSS_INITIAL_VALUE_PRIVATE_H__
 
 #include "gtkcssvalueprivate.h"
-
+#include "gtkcssstylepropertyprivate.h"
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
-GtkCssValue *   _gtk_css_initial_value_new            (void);
-GtkCssValue *   _gtk_css_initial_value_get            (void);
+GtkCssValue *   _gtk_css_initial_value_new            (GtkCssStyleProperty *property);
+GtkCssValue *   _gtk_css_initial_value_get            (GtkCssStyleProperty *property);
 
 G_END_DECLS
 
diff --git a/gtk/gtkcssshorthandproperty.c b/gtk/gtkcssshorthandproperty.c
index c6ca614689..752d877839 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcssshorthandproperty.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkcssshorthandproperty.c
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ gtk_css_shorthand_property_parse_value (GtkStyleProperty *property,
        */
       for (i = 0; i < shorthand->subproperties->len; i++)
         {
-          data[i] = _gtk_css_initial_value_new ();
+          data[i] = _gtk_css_initial_value_new (shorthand->subproperties->pdata[i]);
         }
     }
   else if (_gtk_css_parser_try (parser, "inherit", TRUE))
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ gtk_css_shorthand_property_parse_value (GtkStyleProperty *property,
   for (i = 0; i < shorthand->subproperties->len; i++)
     {
       if (data[i] == NULL)
-        data[i] = _gtk_css_initial_value_new ();
+        data[i] = _gtk_css_initial_value_new (shorthand->subproperties->pdata[i]);
     }
 
   result = _gtk_css_array_value_new_from_array (data, shorthand->subproperties->len);
diff --git a/gtk/gtkcssstyleproperty.c b/gtk/gtkcssstyleproperty.c
index bd7d5a06cb..5f53f5b566 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcssstyleproperty.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkcssstyleproperty.c
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ gtk_css_style_property_parse_value (GtkStyleProperty *property,
       /* the initial value can be explicitly specified with the
        * ‘initial’ keyword which all properties accept.
        */
-      return _gtk_css_initial_value_new ();
+      return _gtk_css_initial_value_new (style_property);
     }
   else if (_gtk_css_parser_try (parser, "inherit", TRUE))
     {
diff --git a/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyimpl.c b/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyimpl.c
index 3d8eb213c6..4ed1779bbc 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyimpl.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyimpl.c
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ assign_border (GtkCssStyleProperty *property,
   const GtkBorder *border = g_value_get_boxed (value);
 
   if (border == NULL)
-    return _gtk_css_initial_value_new ();
+    return _gtk_css_initial_value_new (property);
   else
     return _gtk_css_border_value_new (_gtk_css_number_value_new (border->top, GTK_CSS_PX),
                                       _gtk_css_number_value_new (border->right, GTK_CSS_PX),
diff --git a/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyprivate.h b/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyprivate.h
index 00d8437a8b..8a88bb4380 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyprivate.h
+++ b/gtk/gtkcssstylepropertyprivate.h
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ struct _GtkCssStyleProperty
   guint animated :1;
   guint affects_size :1;
 
+  GtkCssValue *css_initial_value; /* Used to quickly find the GCssInitialValue for a property */
+
   GtkCssStylePropertyParseFunc parse_value;
   GtkCssStylePropertyQueryFunc query_value;
   GtkCssStylePropertyAssignFunc assign_value;