Hello,
My wife and I recently purchased our first house and are slowly checking of the things from the "things that needed to have been done 5 years ago" list. On the rear of our property line that are several holly shrubs that make a privacy barrier between our backyard and the neighbors. The privacy is nice, however these are wayyy overgrown. They are roughly 30-40 feet fall, there are several (6-8), they surround a larger single-trunk holly tree (the shrubs have 3-4 main trunks each), and the branches are so long that the branches are drooping and sagging very badly.

Not to mention, the branches extend and sag over several railroad ties that were laid to mark the boundary line and these trees have caused about 200-300 sq feet on my backyard to go unused!

I'm hoping to severely prune them back, taking off complete branches in order to maintain the size of these massive creatures. I know it is recommended to do this in late winter/early spring, but we had other things come up and couldn't get to them until now. I do not mind staring at a "hat rack" or a set of ugly branches with no growth until next spring, because my wife and I agree the site now off our back deck is sorta trashy (and we'd like to reclaim part of our yard). My biggest thing is I want to make sure I don't kill these hollies and that I do this moderately correct. Can I just "go at it" and cut off (or cut back) several branches? Some branches are very long, some well over 10-15 feet, and some are very think (about 1-2" diameter). I want to make sure these will in fact bloom again next spring (and since it's not yet summer, hopefully something this year but really not expecting it and will not be heartbroken if there isn't. **I should also mention that if I cut back as I am suggesting, there will be NO leaves, just the larger main stems and branches. These is nothing on the interior of these hollies. I should also not that I am OK with this as this will be look better than the sagging, dropping, out of control look.

It appears these "shrubs" have been left to grow as trees, when in fact I'd like to get them back as "shrubs". Any advice, help, or guidance will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

Sort of like kids...it ain't gonna happen. They grow up and stay that way. Hollies make nice privacy borders when kept in check. I doubt yours will ever look as good as you want them to. Since this house is in its infancy to you, why not consider removing them completely...ie digging them up with machinery, and replacing them so you can control them. Just a thought.

 

It may come to that down the road. But with the money we have dedicated to other projects, I'd like a solution that will satisfy us for the time being. I'm mostly curious with if I just trim them back to "stubs", i.e. take back branches, maybe trim the top so it isn't too high, if I will continue to see growth next spring. I don't really want to be left with "stubs" forever either, but right now it looks hideous. If I get regrowth to bring in color and hide the "stubs" I will likely be satisfied (for now). If I don't (i.e., if this will kill the plant, or regrowth will take several years), then I may seek a different option. The hollies get about 4-6 hours of direct sunlight a day.

Thanks!

 

Are they shrubs or trees?

I"m not an expert with plants, but I think you can trim them with some success. My mother had two large holly bushes next to her front door. Not as large as yours, but they were trimmed back to about half their size and continue to thrive and look good. I don't know if you could take a 30 foot shrub and get it to be a small 6 foot shrub, but I think you can remove quite a bit from that and not kill the holly. To be honest, I think you could cut the entire thing down to a stump and have new holly growth coming up the following year. If you want to be cautious, start with one and see what happens. Trim the rest back conservatively. Then next year you can cut them back more.

 

The only reason I believe they are shrubs is because they all have multiple main trunks (like 2 or 3 from the ground). There is 1 holly tree already mixed in with the group that is a clear tree - one trunk, much much higher than the shrubs. They may not be quite 30 feet. I may have exaggerated a bit, maybe more in the 20 foot range.

 

It sounds like the tree was there first and then all the others sprouted up from dropped holly berries. Seems very plausible given the description of neglect.

Found this on about.com

"To give your holly a shape of your own choosing, prune back the tips of the current season's growth in late summer, autumn, or winter. If you have an old holly plant on your landscape which you wish to rejuvenate, Bunting has some tips on pruning holly shrubs. Bunting advises that you "'hat rack' it in late winter by cutting back the branches by half to three-quarters of their length. The remaining plant will have few leaves and look like a hat rack, but in spring it will flush out with new foliage from all the pruning cuts. In two to three years, it will be fully covered in leaves. Hat racking will result in a plant much reduced in size, but still full of foliage." Bunting also lists a number of the best holly cultivars for landscaping."

 

Well, the shrubs are evenly spaced in the backyard. About every 2-3 feet is another holly shrub. Because there spacing is so exact, it seems they were planted by design rather than by perchance. Regardless, I went for it last night and trimmed them back to the property line, which left several of them bare. They actually look very good, considering they looked so out-of-control and "trashy" before. I talked to a landscape buddy of mine and he said they shouldn't have a problem coming back, but to spread some fertilizer just in case. Thanks for your help!

 

It is difficult to kill a holly. I cut one down and dug up the root system (or so I thought) in order to put down an air conditioner condenser pad (concrete). Within a year, what was left of the root system had begun go grow out from under the pad!! I think you will be ok with the extreme cutting, although I would have preferred it to have been in a colder month. Keep us posted as to how it goes, and if you need further help with the house, let us know.