Prune a holly bush down one third each year, and remove dead branches from the middle and inside of the plant. Keep holly bushes from being lanky with advice on pruning from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.
Mine are five years old and medusa shaped. I like your strategy to just do a trim and not change the hair style all in one year. I have not trimmed because the berries are precious in the cold, snowy winters. The birds love the berries especially in the early Spring when food is scarce. They are getting big now so they need some taming. Thanks.
Mine are the same size and shape as the ones in this video. I rooted them from cuttings last year. It's amazing how they've grown. But I'm thinking it's about time for their very first pruning. Otherwise, they'll be lanky. Our 16 year old hollies were cut off level with the ground to give the guys access to the side of the house to replace the aluminum. I am amazed that they have re-grown and are already over 7' high and bushy. I have been pinching the very ends of the new shoots all summer. Last year, I was cutting off the new shoots and rooting them. I did enough cuttings to plant a 60 ft row for a privacy barrier where out Leland Cypress trees used to be before a hurricane mangled them. After looking up the cost of Steven's Hollies, I decided to root my own and glad I did! I have enough left over to do another privacy row on another property! They take a long time to root, but once they do, they do very well. Thanks for the video!
5 Comments
Great tips…my holly is totally out of control! Thank you…
Fifty Is The New Forty.com
My standard holly tree has gone leggy and short of foliage. What should I do.
Thank you for explaining so well
Mine are five years old and medusa shaped. I like your strategy to just do a trim and not change the hair style all in one year. I have not trimmed because the berries are precious in the cold, snowy winters. The birds love the berries especially in the early Spring when food is scarce. They are getting big now so they need some taming. Thanks.
Mine are the same size and shape as the ones in this video. I rooted them from cuttings last year. It's amazing how they've grown. But I'm thinking it's about time for their very first pruning. Otherwise, they'll be lanky. Our 16 year old hollies were cut off level with the ground to give the guys access to the side of the house to replace the aluminum. I am amazed that they have re-grown and are already over 7' high and bushy. I have been pinching the very ends of the new shoots all summer. Last year, I was cutting off the new shoots and rooting them. I did enough cuttings to plant a 60 ft row for a privacy barrier where out Leland Cypress trees used to be before a hurricane mangled them. After looking up the cost of Steven's Hollies, I decided to root my own and glad I did! I have enough left over to do another privacy row on another property! They take a long time to root, but once they do, they do very well. Thanks for the video!