We acquired this large holly right on the side of the deck. It looks like it has some aphid infestation. I'm trying to decide if I should lop it off 2/3, treat it and manage its shape more naturally going forward, or just remove it all together.
Side Note: we call it the "bush house", and have pruned a door into the side where our toddler plays inside its canopy.
by gretchieem
3 Comments
Shave it down and lollipop it. They look great if you clean out all the undercarriage.
LOP! Thats a beautiful one. Nice and full. It just needs some proper trimming and pruning. Idk how much you know about pruning and trimming but this can 100% be cleaned up to a beauty.
-You can do 1 hard pruning where you gotta be careful and cant take off more than 30% at once or it can die.
-Or you can do two trimmings 6-7 months apart. 1 trimming now, and a second trim in the fall.. If you dont like the height, take a foot off with loppers then do moderate trimming for the rest (hand sheers or nice sharp hedge trimmer, then repeat in fall. Good luck!
I would also take about some off the bottom to keep it off the ground